His Daughter
by Astrid Effects
Summary: Things can change in just a moment. Things that seemed would last forever seldom ever do. How do you cope when you aren't who you thought and family and friends abandon you. Just ask Ginny Weasley. Being rewritten. No updates until all older chapters have been gone over.
1. Who?

**Okay guys, be kind, this is my very first Fic that I have ever posted anywhere, ever. Please review, constructive criticism is always appreciated. Please, please, please no flames. If you don't like this, stop reading, I don't need to know if you think it sucks, only what I can do to make things better! If you see any grammar or spelling errors, please tell me, that sort of thing really tends to bug me.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or anything involved with Harry Potter. Okay, now with that out of the way, lets start the show!**

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Virginia always loved coming home for summer holiday. Of course she loved her school, it was her home too, but it was just different at the Burrow. Her family was here and she knew that whatever happened that they would always be there for her.

So, on her second day home, she awoke happy and refreshed in her small but comfortable room. She dressed, for once not bothering with her hair or to look into the mirror. She wanted to get breakfast before her brothers and Harry got all of the food. As she was bouncing down the stairs, she tripped and landed in a heap on the kitchen floor.

She laughed and looked up at her mother, "Sorry about that mummy. I guess I was a bit too enthusiastic about being home again."

"That's alright dear, but you might want to get breakfast quick, that was loud enough to wake even your brothers up." her mother responded, picking her daughter up off of the floor and setting her in front of a large plate of eggs, scrambled and fried, bacon, toast, kippers, sausage, two muffins, some mushrooms and a very large cup of pumpkin juice. Virginia looked up and grinned at her mother. Just as she was digging into her scrambled eggs, a troupe of sleeping looking red heads and one Potter came grumbling down the stairs. All of their faces and eyes seemed to clear at the smell of food. Seeing this, she began to shovel food into her mouth so that no one else could take it. By the time the boys had sat down and begun to inhale their own food, Virginia was done with hers.

She chugged down the last of her juice and let out a very loud, very unladylike belch. All movement in the room stopped. Everyone stared at her.

"Wow…"

"Holy shi-"

"Ronald Weasley!"

" Good one Gin!"

Blink…, blink.

Ginny smiled brightly and got up from the table. She was caught by the back of her shirt. It was he mother.

"Virginia Anne Weasley! What was that! " Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

"Excuse me?" Ginny said, trying not to laugh.

Mrs. Weasley let go of her , sighing exasperatedly. As she watched her daughter flounce back up the stairs, for a split second, it looked as if her hair were black. Mrs. Weasley turned to the boys to ask if they had seen it but they had all gone back to eating. Sighing, she chalked it up to odd lighting,

Up stairs, Ginny was in the process of getting ready to shower, She grabbed her towel, shampoo, cream rinse, and body wash. Stepping into the small bathroom, she shut and locked the door behind her. She pulled her hair out of the messy pony-tail and flung the rubber band across the room.

She undressed and started the shower, and smiled as she stepped under the hot spray. Grabbing a pouf, she began to scrub her skin with her watermelon scented body wash. Her skin had always had a natural tan to it, unlike her family, her skin was always golden. As she scrubbed, her skin seemed to become lighter and lighter until it took on the look of porcelain.

Ginny looked at her skin in awe. It seemed flawless. Not so much as a freckle marring it. Slightly confused, she picked up her shampoo and began washing her hair. As she began to rinse the suds from her hair, she screamed. The water running down was turning red. She screamed again as a strand of hair slipped onto her chest. Her normally blood red hair had turned to obsidian black. Now shaking from shock, she turned off the water and got out of the shower. She wiped the condensation off of the mirror and looked at her reflection. This time, she didn't simply scream, but five things happened at once. She screamed, the mirror shattered, a shout of Alohamorha was heard, the door burst open and Ron and Harry stumbled in.

"Ginny, are you alri- Hey! What have you done with Ginny!" Harry shouted as Ginny screamed for the third time in about five minutes and grabbed her towel.

"I am Ginny! I…, I don't know what happened, I washed off…" she sounded scared.

"Liar, Get out!" Ron seethed.

Ginny pushed past the boys and ran to her room. Quickly, she redressed. The boys, now joined by Mrs. Weasley, began to pound on the door. She sat down in a corner and began to cry. Another Alohamorha was sounded and the door burst open. Ginny let out a frightened squeak. Fred, George, Ron, Harry and Mrs. Weasley all stormed in.

"What have you done with my daughter? Where is she!" Mrs. Weasley screamed at the top of her lungs.

"But it's me! I am Ginny. I don't know what happened." Ginny answered in a sort of panicked sob.

"Don't you dare lie to me! You don't even sound like her. Get out! Get out of my home! I will be contacting Albus immediately!" Molly sounded a little on the hysterical side.

"There is no need for that Molly. I already know. Though you are right, she isn't you daughter. She is however, "Ginny"." Albus Dumbledore appeared in the doorway, apparently having apparated in from some unknown destination.

"What are you talking about Albus! That is not my Ginny over there" she pointed with a shaking finger at Ginny, who was now standing, staring wide eyed at all of them.

"Well, she really isn't _Ginny_ per say but… It is very complicated. She was born Elizabeth Desdemona Virginia Delecourte. Your Virginia died when she was four. Both of the girls were in St. Mungo's , do you remember? You brought young Virginia there because she had come down with a serious fever. Elizabeth's real mother brought her there for the same reason, that was why they were in the same ward. Ms. Delecourte come to me and asked if I would keep her daughter safe. I told her that I would do my best to help her and her daughter." Dumbledore explained.

"Wait a moment, "Miss"? She wasn't married? Who was my father then?" Ginny, or rather , Beth asked, coming out of her shock.

"I think we should go down stairs for the rest of this story. Maybe have a cup of tea? " He ushered them all down into the kitchen where no tea was had. The Weasleys and Harry all seemed to avoid Beth.

"Who is my father and why did my mother need help?" she asked as they all sat down at the kitchen table, still littered with the remains of breakfast.

"What does it matter? My daughter died and you took her place! You aren't even family. Just the bastard daughter of some whore! Albus, when you are done telling us what happened, I don't ever want to see either of you again." Molly said this calmly, though the anger stood clearly out in her voice.

"Molly, please don't be like that. Virginia wanted Elizabeth to take her place. Even at four, she knew she would die and she didn't want you to have to go through all that. She over heard us one day, Ms. Delecourte and I, speaking of the danger that Elizabeth was I. Her father's family wanted her and Ms. Delecourte couldn't give her up to them. After, Ginny asked if there was a way they could switch places. She said, "Mr. Bumby , I know I'm not gonna see mommy or daddy again. I saw them crying last night. When I was asleep. I'm not getting better… tonight… I'm not going to wake up tomorrow. But Lizzie Beth is! If…, if she looked like me, and I looked like her, the bad people couldn't hurt her. And mommy and daddy wouldn't be sad. But you tell her mommy, so she don't cry Mr. Bumby!" And that is what happened. Ginny's grave stone reads ' Virginia Anne Weasley, Beloved daughter and Brave Friend. She gave everything for them.' She told me, before the spell was done, that while she slept forever, she would look after Elizabeth and make sure her father never would hurt her and she would help Beth with what she should do with her life." Dumbledore became silent and looked into Beth's eyes. She was crying quietly.

"I remember that… Gin Gin told me what was going to happen. She said no to tell anyone, or they would be sad. When I could still remember, I could see her… but she looked like I must have in the hospital. She was even in the Chamber with me… oh gods, Gin Gin…" a tear slipped down her face.

"You never said who her father was" Harry said, glaring lightly at Dumbledore.

"Ah, yes, her father. Well, you see, that's a bit of a problem. You see, her father is Thomas Riddle." there was silence. Even Beth stopped crying.

"My…, My father is the Dark Lord! But… but how! I'm 15, he was dead before I was born!" Beth looked frightened. She began to cry again, but the tears staining her face were now the same brown color her eyes once were. Here eyes were now jade green, rimmed with blood red.

"Beth was a year older than our Ginny." Molly said quietly.

"Exactly."

" Whether Ginny wanted this or not, I want her out of this house!" with that said, Molly got up and walked up stairs. There was a loud bang heard and she came back down, covered in dust and other debris. "Her room and things are gone. She is your responsibility now. I will not have the daughter of the dark lord living in my home in the place of my own." With that, she raised her wand and thrust the two of them out of the kitchen door.


	2. New Home

**I know that there are a lot of unanswered questions, and I promise that they will all be answered. I like to keep my readers guessing a little, so if you want to get the answers keep reading. And just a little warning, I will be sort of picking and choosing the things that I want and/or need from the books. I know that's horrible, and I cry your pardon. And a little bit of a warning as to the undeniably Marry Sue-ish qualities of Beth. I like Marry Sues if the characters are written properly as I truly hope Beth is. Forgive please!**

**And I wanna thank everyone for reviewing! Yay! I'm glad you guys like it **

**And special thanks to **_**Lady Narcissa Black Malfoy **_**for pointing out spelling issues I had. Thank you so much! And they will be fixed. **

**If you want a disclaimer, look to the first chappie. I'm not doing one for every chapter. I hope you like it! R&R! Yay! . **

"Professor, what am I going to do? I have no home, and it's much too early to go back to school. I have no home, no family, no clothes… I don't even have my wand…. Professor, I'm scared." Beth said frantically, picking herself up off the ground, then proceeding to help up Dumbledore.

"You will just have to stay at the school. We will allow you to stay in Gryffindor Tower. We will also try to get you up to speed on your studies. I expect that you will want to join your fellow sixth years next semester?" Dumbledore smiled and looked around. An almost dragon like horse stepped into view. "I would apparate with you, but I've got other business to attend to this afternoon and you need to get settled in. Just tell him you want to go to Hogwarts and he'll take you there just as quickly as he can."

Beth nodded and moved closer to the thestral. It moved its head to her hand and she stroked its nose. With a nod of encouragement from Dumbledore, she climbed on. There was a loud crack and Dumbledore was gone. Sighing, she whispered "Hogwarts".

The thestral shot up and set out towards the school. Beth just couldn't believe that not even 90 minutes ago she was eating breakfast at the Burrow as Virginia Weasley and now she was going back to school as Elizabeth Delecourte. She had no family anymore, save for the Dark Lord. Where was her mother? Had she been a Death Eater? How could she have been conceived if her mother wasn't evil? She was in such deep thought that she didn't realize that she had landed on the school grounds. She only came back to herself when she heard her name being called. It was Professor McGonagall

"Elizabeth!" she shouted as if she had been calling her for a great while.

"Oh! I'm sorry Professor, my mind was else where…. A lot to think about lately." Beth said apologetically.

"I understand, dear. But I don't, however, think that thestral does." McGonagall responded kindly.

Beth promptly dismounted the creature. The sun glinted lightly off of the thestral skin and wings as it trotted back into the forest.

"Come with me, I'll be taking you to your dorms, then I think that there is some shopping to be done.." McGonagall's eyes seemed to sparkle at the prospect of going shopping.

Beth grinned and followed her to a part of the castle that she had never seen. She thought it was near the less used dungeons.

"I thought I was to stay in the Gryffindor Tower?" Beth said, confused.

"We have another student staying with us this summer. He won't be arriving until tomorrow night. Albus thought it would be more convenient if the two of you shared a dorm. You will each have your own rooms, although you will have to share a bathroom. I'm sorry, I know how you must feel." she made a very uncharacteristic face and lead her down to the end of a hall. "This is where you will be staying this summer and during school if that is what you wish. The pass word will be one of your own choosing, once our other guest gets here, he will be informed of it."

McGonagall tapped one of the stones which promptly glowed green. "Now you just say your password" she whispered.

"Dark Phoenix." she said, but the voice that came from her mouth wasn't hers. The words shone brightly on the stone, as if they were being burned into it. After a moment, the light died down and the words disappeared. The stone became a doorknob. Beth opened the door and stepped inside. The common room, which is what she supposed that it was, was huge. About the size of the Gryffindor common room and then another half. It had two levels, on the first, where she was, the floor was covered in thick, soft, black carpet. There were also a huge amount of overstuffed chairs and couches spread about the room. Almost directly opposite the entrance was another door, and to her left and right were two more. (hehe, I made a rhyme .) The other two were opened. Slowly, with McGonagall at her side, they wandered to the room on the right. It had dark green carpet and a queen sized bed with black and silver pillows and a forest green quilt made of a silk-like material.

"Its Slytherin colors, but its beautiful." Beth said off handily.

"Actually, the color scheme changes to whatever house the occupant is in." McGonagall, who was standing in the doorway, stepped into the room. The carpet around her became red. "It seems to think that you belong in Slytherin." the professor looked confused for a moment then said, "Well, come on now, we have got some shopping to do!"

The two women wandered to the main hall and then moved on to Hogsmead.

"Professor McGonagall-"

"Please, this summer you may call me Minnie. No reason to be so formal, at least for the time being. And you remind me of a friend I once had when I went to Hogwarts " She smiled down at her.

"Well, then…. Umm… Minnie… there is something I don't understand." Beth paused and looked confused.

"Well… how am I supposed to help you understand if you wont tell me?" Minnie answered.

"Its just that… well I don't understand why after 11 years, I would suddenly start looking like myself again… it just doesn't make sense! I mean… was it supposed to wear off?" Beth looked up at the older woman helplessly.

" In the end, it was supposed to wear off, but not until you were out of school and could protect yourself from your father and his followers. Albus believes that when you were in the Chamber, the spell lost some of its potency and that is why it stopped working. It wont be long before the Dark Lord figures out that you are still alive. But there is nothing to worry about. You will be in the school for the next two years and by the time you graduate, we hope that he will have been defeated." McGonagall looked slightly worried but the pressed on into the village.

Eventually, they got to a small shop called Madam Foxworth's designer Robes. Madam Foxworth, a rather old woman, greeted them as they came in.

"Ah, Minnie, Minnie, Minnie! It's been so long, too long." she said, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Yes, Arri, it has been too long. You must come up to the school one day and have some tea." Minnie answered, breaking free from the hug.

"And who do we have here? Oh my, what a pretty young girl. I don't believe I've seen you in here before." the old woman, Arri, said.

"No, I've never been in here before. I normally shop at second hand stores or wear my brother's old clothes." Beth answered offhandedly while fingering a robe of beautiful royal blue silk.

"Oh that's just awful! I'll bet that you have a beautiful figure under all that! I'll tell you what, it's on the house. You can have up to 100 sets of robes here for free." Arri said grinning.

Beth looked at the old woman as if she had lost her mind. She made to say something but was ushered into the back of the store to be measured.

"Oh dear Merlin! My wand was blown up with the rest of my things!" Beth said in a panicky way as Minnie took out her own wand to levitate the books caldron, quills parchment, ink, shoes, 10 dress robes, 20 casual robes, 30 school robes, a various assortment of muggle clothing, pajamas and undergarments. Minnie stopped and looked at her strangely.

"Molly Weasley blew up your wand?"

"Yes, along with all of my other things.

"I really don't mean to sound rude, but was your wand second hand as well ?"

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything, the fact is I don't have one-" she was cut off.

" Come on"

They turned around and headed towards a rather rundown looking part of the little village. Minnie took her to a shop that Beth had never seen before. The sign on the old wooden door read Arabeth's Wand Shoppe. They entered the little shop and a very old and frail looking woman emerged from behind a curtain covered doorway. She looked as if cobwebs had been draped over her face, there were so many fine wrinkles. She had bright violet eyes that sparkled with kindness.

"Hello and good afternoon my dears. Is there something I can do for you? I am Madam Arabeth and this is my establishment." she said in a sweet grandmotherly voice.

" Yes ma'am, I'm here to get a wand." Beth answered her uncertainly.

"Ah, yes, let me see your wand hand. That's right, lets see you there. Ah, I know. Let's see, let's see." Madam Arabeth said all of this so quickly it was hard to understand. She then moved behind the dusty counter and brought out a very old looking wooden box with a pentagram burned into its cover. She opened the box and inside it was a rather long, thin wand with an intricate pattern carved into it. It was that of a dragon and phoenix wrapping themselves around one another.

"This wand was the first one I ever made. It is made from the bough of a now extinct tree by the name of Everwillow. It is one of a kind and terribly powerful with a core of phoenix tears and tail feather, and dragon heartstrings and a single scale. I believe, my dear, that you were meant to have it." She passed the wand form the box to Beth's trembling hand.

As soon as she touched it, black and gold sparks began to fly from its tip. They formed a phoenix in midair. Seconds later, green and black sparks formed a dragon, wings spread. The three women stood in awe, staring at the graceful spark creatures as they began to fight, then encircle each other, forming the carving on the wand. As suddenly as they had appeared, they disappeared. The engraving glowed almost too brightly to look at then faded.

"Does… does that mean it's mine?" Beth asked in a quiet whisper of awe.

"I believe it does…" Both Madam Arabeth and Professor McGonagall said together.

McGonagall set a handful of coins and collected the wand case. She and Beth then left the store, bowing a quick thank you and then wandered back to the school in silence. Beth stared at her wand and every so often would look back to check on her school things which were floating dutifully behind them.

**I hope you guys liked it. I've been a little distracted with moving and packing and stuff. I've already started chapter 3, so ... yeah.**


	3. The Guest

O**key dokey! Chapter number three. I hope you guys like it. I've got a whole 13 reviews now! YAY! am I a dork? Yesh I do believe I am**

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Once they got back, McGonagall finally spoke, as they put away Beth's things.

"You are a powerful witch Beth. I will do everything in my power to help you. Once our guest gets here, every morning, either I or one of the other teachers will come and get you for classes. Now I have to go now, but I will see you at lunch in an hour. There will be one small table next to the teachers' where you will take your meals with our other guest"

"Who is it? The other guest I mean. I know it's a boy, you've already said that, but which boy?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you that until he arrives. Dumbledore's orders" there was a sly smile on her face that Beth didn't quite trust, but she nodded anyway. After Minnie left, she sat her bed and thought for a moment. She was exhausted, and also very hungry, despite her large breakfast. Changing into a pair of robes of the same silk that she had shown such interest in in the shop, she decided to further explore her dorm.

She wandered over to the other bedroom and grinned. It was a little smaller than hers. She was glad that if she had to stay here, she got the first pick. She then went to the door opposite the entrance, she supposed it was the bathroom. She was right. The whole thing was marble. The sink was black and the floor was tiled in the same color. There was a shower stall and bathtub near the back and two stalls on either side of the room with toilets. It was as big as her room at the Weasleys. She went to the large mirror that was next to the sink and looked at herself. She didn't even recognize herself. She had long black hair that shone an emerald green when the light hit it just right. It had just a little bit of a curl to it that gave that look of having spent hours with a curling iron and a flat iron. Her body had even filled out. She now had soft curves and a rather ample bust as opposed to the seemingly sexless 15 year old she had been that morning. She rested her hands on her newly formed hips. How could she have not noticed this before? She marveled at her breasts, which weren't large by any means but definitely, she thought, not small. Everything about her new body she thought was perfect. She loved the way her robes hung just so on her body. They seemed to cover while still giving away just enough.

She left the bathroom, yawning and sat on one of the many couches. She decided that she would look at the next level later, now, she needed a nap. Forty-five minutes later, she awoke feeling refreshed. She took a look at her watch as her stomach grumbled. Jumping up she ran out into the hall and sprinted up to the great hall for lunch. She skidded into the hall just in time. They were just serving lunch. She sat down with a turkey sandwich and wolfed it down.

She looked up at the teachers and was surprised. Professor Snape was chatting away happily with Professor Sprout about his need for a random assortment of botanical odds and ends. McGonagall smiled kindly at her, as did Dumbledore.

After lunch, Beth wandered towards Hagrid's hut. She knocked on the door and smiled when she heard Fang barking form within.

"I'm comin, comin. Outta the way yer damnable dog! Oh, hallo there. Sumthin I can do fer yah, young lady?" Hagrid said opening his door.

"Hagrid, its me, Ginny. Or… I was, my name is Beth now." she smiled brightly at her old friend.

Hagrid just stared at her. "Harry done sent me a owl bout you. You're not welcome here no more." with that, he shut his door firmly.

Beth just stood there a moment in shock. She then turned around and walked back up to the school in a rather numb fashion. Her eyes were blank and her face was expressionless. She sat on the steps outside the main hall. In a remote part of her now paralyzed mind, she heard footsteps behind her, but she couldn't register it. When Hagrid reacted to her that way, something clicked into place in her mind. She wouldn't ever fit in anywhere. She would always have doors slammed in her face. All because she was _his _bastard child. A hand on her shoulder. A voice. No words registered. She was mumbling now, the thoughts that were careening about her head. A face appeared in front of her own.

It was Snape.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth, answer me! What is the matter with you girl!" he was nearly shouting at her.

She looked up at him with dull and dead eyes, "They hate me. I shouldn't be here. I should have died. Not Gin Gin. Gin Gin was a good girl… I'm not. I have to go now… I don't belong." her voice was monotonous and floated around his head in broken bits of reason.

She stood up and walked towards the Whomping Willow. When she was just out of its reach, she stopped dead as if she had been cursed into a full body bind. Snape, having been in a state mild shock at her behavior, rushed over to her. He took her arm lightly and steered her away from the tree and back to the castle, to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomphrey rushed over to the Professor and Beth.

"What happened to her? Why is she staring like that?" she said in a rush.

"I don't know. I found her like that on the steps to the Main Hall. I couldn't make sense of what she was saying." Snape answered.

Madam Pomphrey nodded and brought out a large slab of chocolate. She slipped a small chunk of it into Beth's mouth and forced her to eat it. With that done the older woman directed her to a bed and made her sit down. Slowly, Beth began to come to herself again.

"Ms. Delecourte, are you alright?" Madam Pomphrey inquired.

"I… I had gone to see Hagrid…I well I hadn't seen him at lunch. He didn't recognize me at first…" she sighed. " but when I told him who I was, he said I wasn't welcome there anymore. I guess… something snapped inside me when he slammed the door in my face… I just realized that until the day I die… people will hate me." she said in a shaky voice. She looked at the two adults helplessly.

"Ms. Delecourte… Beth, why don't you come down to my office. We can have an early lesson, to get your mind off o all this." Snape said gently. It surprised Beth, but she went with him anyway.

Once they got to his office, he instructed her to take her wand out.

"We aren't doing potions?" she asked tentatively.

"No, I already know that you don't have any problems in Potions. I think that we will work on something a little harder. How about multiplication? It's a little bit complicated, but its good if you want your mind off things."

"umm… professor?… I don't want to seem rude… but… well… I haven't ever known you to ever be so… well… nice…" Beth sounded a little uncertain as she took her wand out.

"Yes.. Well… I don't take any offence to it. I'm not exactly what one might call a teddy bear. I'm just… glad to know you are here. I was friends with your mother in school. She was like a little sister to me. She came to the school the year after is did. She had no family… they had all died of the same fever that nearly took you when she was very young. You look just like her you know. Your eyes of course have been tainted by His blood, but other than that… it is like seeing a ghost." he said quietly, as if it hurt him to speak of it.

" I'm sorry. I didn't know. Its just strange to me…. I've only known you as a Weasley would…"

"that's alright, I know how the students see me."

For just a moment, they looked at each other and smiled.

"was… was she a good woman? My mother? Was she a Death Eater? A real one I mean… not a spy?"

"How..?"

"Harry found out a few years ago…"

"Hmm… I should have known it was him. But to answer your question, yes, your mother was a good woman. Very kind to everyone. It always puzzled me that she was in Slytherin. Near the end of his first reign, the dark Lord had trouble sometimes… controlling himself. He always had some good in him… from his muggle father I suppose. That goodness sometimes changed him. Into Tom Riddle. Your mother fell in love with that side of him… she never really knew who he was until the day Mr. Potter defeated him. That was when the Death Eaters came looking for you. They saw you as a sort of heir. Your mother just couldn't let you be corrupted at such a young age. She asked Albus for help. Shortly after you died… or were switched… she was…." he sighed deeply. "Killed…" he became very quiet, letting the silent tears slip slowly down his face.

Beth stood up and hugged him. At first it seemed strange, but after a moment it became like hugging your favorite old uncle you haven't seen in a long while.

" I remember you from when I was little. You came to see me in the hospital. And before that you used to help my mother take care of me!" an odd look crossed her face and then she grinned at him, "Uncle Sevy!"

He laughed, "Of all the things you remember about me and its "Uncle Sevy"? Rhoan always called me that. She used to say, 'Severus is far to harsh a name for you Sevy!' She was so strange at times."

Beth smiled at him again, "Maybe we should get working on that spell, huh, Uncle Sevy?"

"You are going to call me that all summer aren't you?

She nodded happily and picked up her wand. It seemed to heat up when she touched it.

"Ah! Ouch!" she dropped her wand and looks at her now scalded hand. The burn was in the pattern of the engraving on her wand. " Damn it! What the hell is with this damned wand! Bloody hell!"

She blew on her hand while Snape picked her wand up, carefully. The burn on her right hand began to change color and traveled up her arm, up to her elbow. Slowly, the phoenix disappeared as the mark began to take on more details only the dragon was left, standing out a dark green with black scales scattered about it, along the tail and wings.

"Oh well now… isn't that interesting…" at that, her wand flew back into her hand and she fainted. She faded away from the room and appeared about three floors down, on her bed in her new dorm. A house elf who was cleaning in there saw and popped out of the room to tell Dumbledore. He asked the elf to watch her and tell him if her condition changed at all.

"Beth awoke the next day, having slept until a little past lunch. She was ravenous, and ate an entire plate of Sheppard's Pie and two chicken sandwiches that had been brought to her by the house elf, whose name turned out to be Muffin. Both Snape and McGonagall came to check on her. After changing into fresh clothes, she decided to check out what was on the top floor of her dorm. There were two large rooms, one being a library, the other being a gym. In the library, many of the books were just spread out miscellaneously about on the shelves. Beth set about organizing all the books, practicing a few spells that she found in them and just looking around the library. All in all, it took her about 3 hours to do it. The whole time, she kept hearing an odd mewling sound, but couldn't for the life of her figure out where it was coming from.

Once she was done with the library, she decided to work off her large lunch in the gym. When she opened the door, she found out what had been making the odd sound. A small, scruffy looking black and white kitten shot out of the room to greet her.

"Oh! How cute are you! What is your name little kitty?" it meowed at her and sneezed from the book dust on Beth's robes. To her surprise, its ears seemed to grow very large, like those of a house elf, and its tail split into two, each being tipped with a tuft of black and white fur. She looked at the tag on his collar. It read,

' My Name is Louis, I belong to you!

Love Uncle Sevy'

"Oh! Louis, that is so cute! Are you going to be my witches familiar?" the little animal meowed again and crawled up onto her shoulder, wrapping one tail around her neck and the other around her arm to steady itself.

Beth spent the rest of the day shadow boxing, lifting weights and playing with her new found pet.

"Louis! Louis you get back here you crazy little cat thing!" she laughed, chasing him down the stairs because he had stolen one of her shoes. "Oh I see you, you little brat!" she spotted her shoe next to a large chair in the corner and dove for it. Once she had the shoe in her hand, Louis pounced on her head. She laughed again and picked him up.

"Louis! Our guest will be here tonight! We cant let him think that I am all smelly and gross. I have to live with him this summer! I need to take a shower, what do you think?" Louis mewled his agreement. Beth yawned, "That work out must have tired me out a lot more than I thought it did, I'm worn out!"

She walked into the bathroom, changed out of her clothes and took a long hot shower. When she stepped out, she grabbed a large black towel and wrapped it around herself.

"I'm glad I didn't" yawn" Wash off that time. That warm water made me sleepy I can't believe that after being passed out all day and night, I'm tired again." she sat down on one of the couches and laid down. " I… I think that I will just take a little nap… just a little one…" she pulled the towel just a little closer to herself and promptly fell asleep.

Up in the main hall a young man had arrived and was being greeted by Professor Snape.

"Good evening Mr. Malfoy."

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**Well that was chapter three! I reeeeeaaaaalllllllllllllllyyyyyyy hope you liked it. R&R pleaseeeee I just love reviews just ever so much! chapter four is in the making as we speak, so feel free to come back and visit me in my crazy little world again! YAY!**


	4. The Meeting

**Alright, this is how it is, I've gotten a lot of complaints about renaming Ginny. I get it, its confusing, but the whole point of renaming her is that, she isn't Ginny any longer. She is a totally different character now. There is no more Ginny. She doesn't exist anymore as far as this story is concerned. As the story goes on, you will see, that she is a totally different person from the Ginny in the books. This is the point to changing her looks, personality and her name, to give her distance from the former character she was. I don't want you to see her as Ginny, I want you to see her as Elizabeth Desdemona Virginia Delecourte. If this pisses people off, I ask your forgiveness! I cry your pardon, say thank ya. **

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"Hello Professor, it's good to see you again… even if it has only been a week since end of term."

"Yes… well we have another guest staying here that you will be staying with. I will have to ask you to be _very_ polite to her." Snape looked deadly.

"Of course professor."

"Draco, I mean it. If I so much as suspect that you have behaved in an ungentlemanly manner, hurt her feelings, said anything remotely insulting, I will have your mother here so fast that your head will spin. She is important to me, like family, and I don't want her thinking my house is full of idiots."

"Yes sir, I wouldn't dream of being insulting" Draco nodded and moved to pick up his trunk. He robe sleeve fell back just the slightest bit on his left arm. On his wrist was a black and gold mark.

"What is that on your arm?" Snape inquired carefully.

"Oh… yeah, I'm really not sure what it is exactly. It looks like a tattoo but, it isn't… it appeared there yesterday afternoon. I thought it looked like a phoenix but its black, only a few gold feathers in the tail. Its strange." he responded, earning an odd look from is head of house." How do you get to the dorms?"

Snape told him and watched as he hoisted his trunk and began to walk down towards the dorm.

Coming out of his shock, Professor Snape called out to Draco, "Wait, I haven't told you what your password is!"

Draco looked surprised, "Oh, what is it?"

The odd look crossed Snape's face once again when he said, "Dark Phoenix…"

For a moment, Draco just stood there slightly stunned. He glanced quickly down at his arm and began to walk again. When he got to the dead-end hallway, he muttered, "Dark Phoenix". once inside, he set his trunk down and looked around. He spotted Beth's room and sighed when he realized that it had already been taken. He took up his trunk again and moved towards the unoccupied room. On the couch, Beth was still sleeping peacefully. She had moved in her sleep and there was now a large portion of skin showing. She was still covered, but there was just a little more showing than most would find appropriate. Louis had fallen asleep on her lower abdomen, holding the towel in place so that it was open to just below her bellybutton.

It was only after he had come back out into the common room did Draco notice that there was a nearly naked young girl sleeping on the couch. She looked slightly distressed and moved a little. Much to Draco's distress, the towel moved to cover her more. She whimpered quietly and a tear slipped down her milky cheek. Draco moved over to her and knelt down next to her. He wiped the tear from her face and trailed his fingers down her neck and between her breasts. As soon as he touched her, she seemed to calm.

"Amazing. What a radiant creature…" he rested his hand lightly on her stomach. It seemed like, had he wanted to, he could have broken her. She seemed quite frail and small compared with himself. Quidditch had left him with a strong and fit body. He pulled his hand away and stepped back. Her eyes were beginning to open. Frantically, he looked around. He needed to be sitting, he decided. With something in his lap. His body had reacted as it should and now he was in grave danger of looking like a pervert. He ran into his own room before she could fully wake up and leaned against his door. He slid down it and sat on the floor, glaring at a rather innocent looking dust bunny hiding in a corner.

""Well that was just great! At least she doesn't know you were there" he said to himself.

There was a scream heard form the other side of the door, the sound of running, and a slam of a door. A moment later there was another sound. It could only have been Beth coming back out of her room. Draco could hear her talking to herself.

"Oh, Goddess! I can't believe I fell asleep! I fell asleep naked and on the couch!. Oh no! he's already here, his door is hut! What the hell is he going to think of me, Louis? I know what I would think of me! Tramp, whore, slut! Who else sleeps naked out in the open! Oh, Louis, what am I going to do?". There was more frantic muttering, but nothing was intelligible. Draco could hear another sound, however. It sounded like a cat.

"You're right, Louis! I can't keep standing here muttering to myself like I've gone mad. I have to go over there and apologize for being so stupid! But what if it doesn't matter to him? First impressions are important! How do you fix a first impression! Maybe he didn't see me?" Meow. " Oh you're right Louis, that's just stupid." sigh. " Alright! I'll do it, I will go over there and talk to him… whoever he is…"

There were more footsteps and a knock.

"Umm…Hi? Could I… umm.. Talk to you? No one told me who you were going to be. Well… umm…See… I'm sorry about being on the couch. I don't know what happened. I must have fallen asleep after I got out of the shower. Umm… could you maybe come out… or maybe talk to me?… Maybe?" she said feebly to his door.

Draco thought the voice sounded familiar, muddled, but familiar. He just couldn't place it.

"Sure, uhh, just give me a second, I'm… unpacking!" he said quickly, in a slightly strained voice. ' what the hell is wrong with you Draco?" he thought to himself, ' What would father say about this? Fretting over some simple little girl? Gah! You are pitiful, Draco, you really are. Now quit acting like suck a pouf and start acting like a Malfoy and a Slytherin!'

He muttered a "cooling" spell and, with a sigh, opened his door. There, standing on the other side, was Beth. She had put on a set of gauzy, deep blue robes that flowed around her like water. She looked as a witch of the old magick would have been thought to look. Louis had once again taken his place on her shoulder.

Beth's jaw dropped when she saw who he was. "Malfoy! You're my roommate? Oh Freya… I am going to die." she looked down then rapidly back up, horrified at her bad manners. " Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" she said quickly.

"What did you mean then? No many people find dying to be a good thing." Draco sneered, trying to keep up appearances.

"Oh.. Well you see, you've just never been very nice to me or my fam…. Friend!" she looked panicked.

"Look, I don't even know who you are. What house are you in and what's your name?" she was hiding something and he knew it, what was worse was that she knew that he knew it. (Astrid: did that make sense?)

"Beth, Elizabeth Delecooo…. Elizabeth Delec!" her eyes were as wide a saucers.

"No… I know you form some where… but that isn't your name. I recognize that babble. You've changed. your voice is almost…" he looked confused.

Beth looked about ready to pass out. "Alright, see, I'm not sure if is should tell you this… but we will be living together. You see" she took a deep breath, " I just spent the last eleven years as a Weasley."

"Oh God! I have to spend my summer living with a Weasley!" he looked disgusted.

"Well do you think I'm thrilled about living with you? Freya, you are such a git! And I'm not a Weasley, I'm a Riddle!" her irises seemed to suddenly being to close in on themselves. Only after looking closely could Draco tell that there was an outer ring of red and that that outer ring seemed to be seeping into the green, tainting them until the entire iris was red.

" Oh sit! Riddle? As in Thomas Riddle, as in the Dark Lord? The Dark Lord is your father?" he looked crazed for a moment, but then a smirk made its way across his lips, "The Dark Lord never had children. You are a liar!" he hissed.

Beth slapped him hard across the face and turned on her heel. Louis turned his head to look at the stunned boy and hissed. He looked at Draco like he would have killed him if he could have for insulting his mistress. Beth stalked abck to her own room and slammed the door loudly.

"how dare he call me a liar? Oh, Louis, I _will_ get back at that little ferret. And you'll help me wont you? How does a little ferret stew sound to you, honey? Oh what a wonderful little creature you are, Louis!" she petted him happily, with a disturbingly malicious look on her face. " Muffin, Muffin dear, could you come here please?" she called the house elf.

Muffin popped into the room, "Yes miss? What can Muffin do for miss?

"Please, call me Beth. But what I needed was some dinner. I seemed to have missed it again. Anything will be fine, and a small bottle of fire whiskey if you can find it. But don't tell anyone, okay? And some pumpkin juice, too please."

The little house elf nodded profusely," Yes Miss Beth. Muffin will try for you!" there was another little pop and she disappeared. Sighing, Beth laid down on her bed. As she calmed down, her eyes began to return to their brilliant green.

Over in Draco's room, he was laying in much the same manner. After about fifteen minutes of thinking about his encounter with his new roommate, he sat bolt upright. "Her arm! She had the same kind of pattern on her arm as I do!" he got up and stormed over to her room. With a growl, he threw open her door. Muffin had just returned with her food and drink and was setting it on a small table for Beth when he came in. Both Muffin and Beth screamed and Muffin popped out of the room again.

"What the bloody hell is your problem Malfoy! Did it ever occur to you to knock?" Beth screeched.

"Let me see your arm. Now!" he demanded, ignoring her earlier statement.

"What, why?"

"Just do it." he cut her off.

Beth looked at him like he was crazy, but all the same, she pulled the sleeve of her left arm. The unmarked arm.

"The other one! You knew exactly what I meant! Now do it!"

"Bloody hell, Malfoy! What is up your ass? I don't take orders from the likes of you, now I want you out of my room!" she looked a little scared now. He was advancing on her. He grabbed her right arm and pulled the sleeve up. The dragon stood out angrily against her pale skin. "Ouch! Damn it, Malfoy, let me go!"

Louis, seeing his mistress in distress became quite monster-like all of the sudden. His fur had turned into scales, and he looked quite like a dragon. He jumped onto Draco and began to bite and scratch anything he could get to. Draco easily threw the little creature off. He hit the wall with a sickening thud and landed in a small heap on the floor. Beth looked at her tiny friend in horror, then growled deeply in her throat.

" Don't you ever, and I _do _mean ever, do that again." she punched Draco in the face and kicked him in the chest. "Louis was a gift, and my friend! I don't take very well to those who abuse my friends!" she kneed him in the stomach as he doubled over from the kick in the chest. She then grabbed onto his hair, which she was surprised for find was quite soft, and began to repeatedly knee him in the face. Finally, she let him go and kicked him out of her room, quite literally. " Don't you ever so much as look at Louis wrong again, do you understand my you nasty little worm? You do and so help me Goddess, I will kill you next time!" she slammed her door and ran over to Louis, who had reverted back to his fluffy little self again.

"Oh, are you alright?" she cooed over him. He mewled feebly. "Poor thing! Here, have some of my dinner." she grinned as he perked right up at the prospect of people food, then tried to hide it with another weak little mewl. " Ha! I knew that would pick up your whiskers you little faker!" she gave him a little piece of meat from her plate and sat back down on her bed. Suddenly, she wasn't so hungry anymore.

To her surprise, the was a knock at the door. She looked back at Louis skeptically then opened the door. There, leaning in the doorway, was a very disheveled and beaten looking Draco Malfoy. He was already bruising and bleeding from one corner of his mouth, his nose and from a small cut on his cheek. Somehow, the buttons on his shirt had come off and caused his shirt to fall open, exposing a highly bruised and highly muscled chest. She tried to look at him coldly but was failing miserably. The sight of his bruised face and chest inexplicably softened her. His hair was disheveled and, even in his beaten state, looked undeniably sexy.

"Look… Elizabeth, I'm sorry if I hurt you or your weird little hell beast. But, your arm, there is a dragon tattoo. I just thought it was strange. It.. Well… bloody hell this sounds weird, but, see I think it has something to do with mine. Umm… can I come in? I… I feel a little… uneasy…" he swayed in the doorway.

"Oh! Oh yes, of course!" she went to his side, her anger forgotten. He had apologized, and he just looked so damned cute standing there like that. (Astrid: Muahahaha! I love Draco just ever so much! He looks cute where ever he is! Sorry… back to the story!) "I'm sorry about that. You just… well lets just say I was really mad. It seems that I got a touch of my father's temper."

She gently ran her fingers over his chest where she had kicked him. He hissed in slight pain. Beth sat him at the end of her bed and sat next to him. He pulled his sleeve up to show her the phoenix on his arm. Beth gasped and looked from his arm to his face, which was swelling by now.

"where… where did you get that?" she touched the pattern lightly. For some reason she liked the feel of his skin.

"It just appeared there yesterday. Why?"

She pulled her wand out and handed it to Draco.

"What do you make of it, Malfoy?"

He looked at her wand, the engraving on it, then to his arm. By this time, Beth had pulled back her own sleeve and was holding it next to his.

"Well… I can tell you this much, its definitely strange." he answered her, running his fingers over the engraving.

"I… I wonder…" she mumbled to herself.

"What?"

"Oh! Well, I was wondering. Could this be just a coincidence? Us getting the same markings on my wand, I mean? The dragon… Draco means dragon, right? So why did you get the phoenix?" she looked deeply into his eyes.

"Well… Oh hell if I know… I can't seem to get my head straight. You pack quite the punch. You really do."

"Yeah, sorry about that" she said absently. She had grabbed the bottle of fire whiskey and was uncorking it with her teeth. It was much larger than what she would have thought to have been kept in a school. It was a liter and a half. She spit the cork out and took a great gulp of the stuff. She grimaced as it burned its way down her throat then handed it to Draco. " Cheers"

-------------- about 30 minutes later--------------

"You know, if we are going to be living together, we…. We should be friends. Or know stuff about each other… at least." Draco said, passing the bottle back to her. It was nearly gone. The were both rather drunk by this time. Beth was leaning against her headboard with Draco curled up beside her with his head in her lap. Neither one of them had any idea as to how they got to their current positions, but at that point, neither one of them really cared all that much.

"YES! That… that is a very, _very_ good idea!" she ran her fingers through his hair. "So, have you always been …. Like… the way you are?" she asked, giggling slightly.

"What… What way… way…. Way… what way I am?" he slurred.

"A… a bloody… wanker. Yeah… a bloody wanker. You know… I'm kind of sleepy…" Beth bubbled on.

"Yeah.. Yeah I think I have. Yes… I have most definitely always been a bloody wanker." he laughed goofily.

"That… that's good. I think… I think I'll just take a little nap. I sleep too much. Yeah, too much." Beth closed her eyes and fell asleep. Draco moved slightly and woke her back up again. She pushed him off of her, not unkindly, and crawled under her blankets. He had fallen asleep himself after she had gotten under her covers. He hugged her to him as one might hug a teddy bear.

A nearly empty bottle of fire whiskey stood forgotten on the bedside table.

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**Alright you guys, looks like I got chapter four up in time! I hope you like it. I know that Draco and Snapeare a little OOC, but they work…. Or at least I think so. Chapter five will hopefully be up once I get back!**

**Oodles of lovies, Astrid!**


	5. Unexpected Friends

**Chapter 5! I'm back! Sorry it took so long to get this up but I've had to work since I got home and I've been half dead the rest of the time. Well, I wont keep you any longer, so on with the show!**

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Beth awoke the next morning to a knock on the door. At first she didn't know where she was then McGonagall's voice came form the other side of the door.

"Elizabeth, Elizabeth, it's professor McGonagall. I can seem to be able to mind Mr. Malfoy. Would you know where he is?" the professor's voice was slightly muffled because of the door.

Groggily, Beth answered her. Her head was pounding and she was still sleepy. "Alright Professor. I…. I'll help you find him…" Beth started to get but felt an odd weight on her chest. She looked down and let out a small squeak. Draco was asleep, curled up like a child, next to her, with his head resting on her chest. In her panic, she didn't notice that his face and chest had healed almost totally. She shook him awake. "Malfoy, Malfoy get up! Professor McGonagall is outside, now get up!" she whispered frantically.

Finally, he did wake up. He looked up at her childishly and grinned.

" Oh! You great goof! Get up, will you? What is Professor McGonagall going to say if she finds us in bead together? Damned by the goddess! The whiskey is still here! Shit!

Beth had now pushed him off of her and gotten out of bed. She was desperately trying to get her hair straightened out and robes. Lazily, Draco got out of her bed and wandered over to her mirror. He looked himself up and down and smirked. "Damn, Draco, you even look good right out of bed." he said to himself.

"Don't be so full of yourself Malfoy! ACK! Get under my bed while I talked to McGonagall. I'll get her to go upstairs and then you can go over to your room. Oh. Louis! You've made a mess of my dinner."

Draco did as he was told, still with a slightly smug grin on his face, and Beth went to her door. She opened it to see Professor McGonagall poking around in search of the boy who was currently peaking at them from under her bed.

"Professor, why don't we look for him upstairs in the gym?" Beth suggested.

"Oh yes! I didn't even think of that. Come, come, we have to be up in the main hall in less than half an hour. You and Mr. Malfoy have classes you need to get to."

As the two women went up the stairs, Draco poked his head out and then sprinted across the common room, wondering vaguely why the common needed to be so large for just two people. once he got to his own room, he quickly changed into fresh robes and then went back out into the common. He sat in one of the overstuffed chairs with his legs hung over one arm, looking as if he had just returned to the room.

"I simply cannot figure out where that boy must be!" Came McGonagall's voice, coming back down the stairs.

" I don't know where he could be Professor." Beth said in an obviously unconcerned voice.

"Oh! There you are Mr. Malfoy. Where did you get off to so early in the morning." McGonagall said once she got to the bottom of the stairs.

" I had gone for a walk Ma'am." he said, looking at Beth and smirking.

"You aught to have told someone."

"I would have, but you see, Elizabeth was asleep still and I couldn't simply go into her room uninvited to wake her up. That would have been terribly rude. I couldn't let that be one of her first impressions of me." to Beth, he looked far too smug with himself.

McGonagall looked a bit taken aback by this, then said, "Well, its time for classes and we are all running late. Ms. Delecourte, please go get your things, you too Mr. Malfoy, I shall wait for you in the Main Hall." and with that, the professor left the two teens alone.

Beth sighed with relief and sat in a chair near Draco. I cant believe I got drunk and let you fall asleep on me! And, by the Goddess do I have a hangover!"

"Oh, now it couldn't have been all that bad. This _is me_ we are talking about." he said smirking at her, stroking Louis, who had climbed up into his lap and was purring loudly.

Beth looked at Louis, "Traitor." she mumbled under her breath.

Draco looked at her, one eyebrow raised and laughed, "You didn't change your clothes?"

"Oh bite me!" Beth growled, quite annoyed by him.

"Oh quite gladly, my pet. You just tell me where… Or would you rather I chose?" he looked her up and down with a slightly predatory gleam in his eyes.

"You're a pig, Malfoy, you really are." she got up and stormed into her room, but hesitated to slam the door. He was chuckling at her quietly. To her surprise she found the sound calming and pleasant. With a sigh, she looked down at her wrinkled robes. Then she noticed something else. There was a dark drool spot where Draco had been sleeping on her. Forgetting all her anger, she began to laugh uncontrollably.

Draco's confused voice floated to her, "What are you going on about you crazy bint? Have you lost your mind?" he wandered over to her room with his school bag to find Beth on the floor with her own things scattered about her. She was clutching at her sides and laughing almost silently form the lack of air she was getting.

"What are you doing? Have you gone mad? Stop laughing at once!" Draco looked confused and a little freaked out.

"You… you d- d- drooled all…, all over me! I- I- I- I can't believe you drool!" she said, gasping for breath.

Draco took her by her shoulders and gave her a good shake. "Stop that! Malfoy's do not drool, and even if we did, it would not need all this laughter." he was trying his hardest to look serious and annoyed at her laughter but was failing spectacularly. Beth, still giggling, held her robe out to him and showed him the drool spot.

"See? I really just can't believe that you drool. that's so adorable!" she said sobering.

"Yes, that's very nice, now come one, change your robes and get to the main hall before McGonagall thinks we've killed each other." he mumbled under his breath, "not that I don't think that's a bad idea" he picked her up off the floor, and with a flick of his wand, put all her things back into her bag.

"Alright, alright, just get out so I can change. I really don't know what came over me. I guess I've been under a lot of stress." she shut her door and changed into a pair of light grey robes that made her mostly green eyes look almost misty. They clung to her slim form. She walked back into the common room and spotted Draco by the entrance. "Lets get something to eat really quick, I'm starving.

He looked at her strangely for a moment as they walked to the main hall, "you are very strange, you really are. So tell me, where are you from? I can't very well believe that for 11 years you were a Weasley. That would make no sense, people don't just turn into other people. Especially into the daughter of the dark lord. It just doesn't happen." Draco said to her.

"Well… I suppose that I do. I _have _been Virginia Weasley for the past 11 years. Professor Dumbledore seems to think that when I was in the… Chamber the glamour was weakened. I was changed to protect me from my father, it was my mother's wish. I actually washed off in the shower three days ago. Wow… I can't believe that it was only three days ago. It happened so fast, but it feels like forever ago. " she shrugged with a little sigh and put a hand on her grumbling belly. "You know, Malfoy, you haven't been acting very…" she made a face like she didn't want to use the next word to come from her mouth, "Malfoy-ish. I mean, sure you have that smirk, and a few other things, but it really isn't what I'm used to from you. Actually, to be totally truthful, I really thought that you would have cured me from here to Salem, Massachusetts when I first saw you. I did hit you with that bat bogey hex last year. Which I'm not sorry for by the way." she looked mildly distracted by her growling tummy.

Draco laughed in a surprised way, "You are the Weaslett!"

"I told you that! Well… at least I was. You aren't mad about that are you? I'm not going to have to lock my door tonight am I?"

"No… what? Oh, yeah, maybe" he smirked and stopped in front of the great hall. Beth ran in and grabbed some toast, a muffin and come bacon. She made a little sandwich out of some of the toast and bacon. Draco looked at her expectantly. She handed him some bacon and a piece of toast along with half of the muffin, which happened to be chocolate chip. McGonagall tapped her shoe against the stone floor of the main hall.

"Sorry, Mini… Err… Professor, but I was so hungry." Beth said, taking a bite out of her part of the muffin. There was a small mewling sound from their feet. McGonagall looked down and nearly screamed.

"What the hell is that!" she screeched.

"That's he little hell beast. She calls him Louis" Draco piped up.

"He is not a hell beast!" Beth stamped her foot.

"Then what is he?" Draco smirked at her.

"He's… well…. He's Louis. My Uncle Sevy gave him to me. He was in the gym yesterday afternoon." she picked him up and put him on his spot on her shoulder then gave him a little piece of bacon. He mewled happily.

"Who is uncle Sevy? I'm fairly certain that you didn't have any family… we would have been able to have let you stay with them instead of here this summer." McGonagall said.

"Well… you see… he's…" Beth was cut off by another voice.

"I… am her 'Uncle Sevy'." Snape had come out of the Great Hall. He winced as he said "Sevy". "It was a nickname her mother gave me. Now where did you find him? I haven't seen him since your mother died, actually. He was our pet when you were a small child. There was one other, a female, her name was Zoi. I wonder why she isn't here."

"Well… I found him in the gym yesterday… I thought that you had put him in there."

"No… that's is strange. I think he must have known that you had been revealed again. The question is… how?" Snape looked confused.

"Well, it doesn't matter.. He is here now, there really isn't much else we can do about that, right?" Beth said, stroking Louis' head.

"She is quite right. Come now, its time for classes." McGonagall said, giving Louis a weary look.

"Professor?"

"Yes Mr. Malfoy?"

"Why exactly do I have class? I believe I did quite well last year. I don't know about Beth, but…" he trailed off.

"Ms. Delecourte is a year behind. She needs another sixth year to help with her lessons." McGonagall answered.

"Actually… it seems that Dumbledore has decided that Beth wont be needing tutoring this summer. That's actually what I came here to say. Dumbledore decided this shortly after you left to retrieve these two." Snape said.

Beth smirked, then after seeming to realize the expression on her face, coughed slightly and blushed. She nodded to the two professors and ran out onto the school grounds, followed closely by Draco. Once out in the sun, she squealed, "Awesome!"

Draco winced at the high pitched sound. "Umm… Beth… Could you please never do that again?"

She grinned and hugged him then squealed again, louder than before and right in his year. Laughing, she pranced around the lawn chanting happily, "No class, no class, no class!"

She allowed herself to fall backwards on the soft green grass. Sighing, she took out her wand and absently began to make patterns with green sparks. Now calm, she began to sing. Draco, who had been waling in the opposite direction, to find a relaxing spot in the shade, stopped in his tracks and looked at her. He hadn't ever heard a voice like hers. It was unearthly and beautiful. Not even the song of the veela compared to it, thought Draco, though he couldn't recognize the language she was singing in.

"Where did you learn to sing like that?" Draco said in awe.

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you had left. I know… I'm not very good. My mom… err… Mrs. Weasley always said that I sounded like a dying cat." Beth had a pretty blush across her cheeks.

"No! Not at all… I mean, you're quite good." he tried to cover his awe, "I haven't ever heard a voice like that. And that song. Where did you learn it."

"Umm… well… you see… Tom taught it to me in the chamber. I used to get in trouble for singing it at home… well I guess its not my home anymore… but it makes me happy either way." she smiled slightly.

The sun was shining brightly, but in the shade it was cool. Draco came over and stood next to her. He looked like he was going to say something, but he turned away and started to walk away. He stopped again and walked back.

"Umm… what are you doing, Malfoy? You look confused." Beth said in amusement.

He sneered at her half-heartedly, "Malfoys do not get confused. We debate with ourselves."

"Yes, because that's healthy." Beth's tone was overly sarcastic.

" Mock me!" Draco said, his anger repressed.

"Don't mock me!" she repeated in a snobby voice. ' He's using that in the wrong context" she thought to herself, making the situation even more humorous to her.

"I said don't!"

"I said don't!"

"Delecourte, I'm warning you!"

"Delecourte, I'm warning you!"

"Fine then, I'm a disgusting slug who boinked my father." he said in a rather self-satisfied tone.

"Fine the, you're a disgusting slug who boinked your father." she grinned at him.

"Why you!" he went to grab her but she got up laughing and ran towards the lake with Draco in hot pursuit.

"You wont ever catch me! Not unless I let you" she yelled back to him, still laughing.

"Oh you think so?" he said, laughing a little now himself.

"No! I know so!" she slowed down just a little so that he could catch up with her just a little bit. Louis, who had climbed up in a tree chasing a bird, looked down at them, looking rather happy with himself and a small feather clinging to the fur near his mouth. They were now both running and laughing on the shore of the lake. Just as Draco almost had her in his grasp, she tripped on a rock and fell into the shallow water. He had just gotten a hold of her arm and subsequently fell on top of her. For a moment the two of them just stared at each other.

"…You caught me…" Beth said in a whisper.

"Yeah… I did didn't I?" Draco looked slightly dazed. He thought she looked like a goddess with her hair spread out in the water and a soft blush on her cheeks.

She reached up and brushed a stray lock from his face. He was gorgeous. His hair was once again disheveled, his stormy grey eyes were tinged blue and it made them look like chips of ice.

Suddenly, there was a humming from behind them. The sound brought them back to themselves. Draco quickly got up and then helped Beth up. She was blushing furiously. when Draco had gotten up, she had wanted to pull him back down. Once his weight had been lifted from her, she felt cold and alone. She looked in the direction of the humming and saw Hagrid. She moved slightly to one side so that she was mostly hidden behind Draco.

He had seen the movement, "What are you do… What's the matter? "

She looked on the verge of tears. Seeing Hagrid had brought back the thoughts of her impending exile. She wouldn't have her old friends, she knew that Harry and her former brothers hated her. How could she face her house as the daughter of the man who struck such fear in their hearts that the couldn't even say his name. this hit her all at once again. The cold feeling that had settled in her stomach when Draco had moved off of her had tripled.

Hagrid spotted her and glared furiously in their direction. Draco could just make out his mumbling. It sounded something like, "I knew she weren't no good. Hangin' 'round with a Malfoy. Can't say I couldn'ta seen it coming. Shouldn't let that kinda people in tha school."

Draco was confused. He looked down at Beth and saw tears shining out in her eyes. She had heard Hagrid's mumbling and looked as if she had been stuck in the stomach. Something in Draco made him furious that she should be made to cry.

Once Hagrid had gone back into his hut, Draco put and arm around Beth's shoulder and led her back the castle, picking their things up on the way. She clung to his robes. And leaned against Draco strong form for support. Louis followed the two of them, mewling in anxiety. Slowly, as they made their way back, Beth's sadness turned into anger. She would be Damned if she would let Hagrid, Harry and her old family or anyone else ruin her life. She would harden herself against their attacks. If they thought she was no good, then she would play up to it. She couldn't let them down now could she? She was going to change her whole outlook on this, and Draco was going to help. Even if he didn't know it yet.

By the rime they reached their rooms, Beth felt stronger. She sat down on a large couch with Draco. She told him everything. What had happened at the Weasleys, about her mother and father, what had happened with Hagrid and about Snape. The very last thing she told him was her plan.

First off, she was going to get resorted, whether Dumbledore liked it or not. Both of her parents were in Slytherin. Hell, her father was the most evil wizard in Europe. She was sure that's where she was mean to be. Then she would work on her attitude. She knew that she was too nice to be really evil. The last thing was her clothes. Draco said that they simply did not say " I'm the daughter of the Dark Lord bitch, don't fuck with me"

"So, what do you think. You going to help me?" she said with a little smirk playing across her lips. This time liking the feeling.

"Of course I will. If you really are the Dark Lords daughter, it would be an honor to help you. Its no secret that my family are involved with him." he answered her nonchalantly.

Beth grinned and jumped at him to hug him. He looked around the room uncomfortably. She had fallen between his legs in a rather provocative position. Not quite realizing what she was going, she kissed him firmly. And electric jolt went through the two of them at the contact. When she pulled away she was blushing again. She jumped up and looked at her bedroom like it was her savoir.

"I… umm… I have to change. All wet you know? I'm uhh… I'm just going to… umm… yeah…" she ran to her room. Once inside, she picked Louis up off of her bed where he had gone to sleep, after, of course, shutting her door and locking it.

"Louis! Big problem! I just kissed Malfoy! Oh and I ran in here after… like a coward! It was amazing. Like fire all over. Do you like it would be unwise to go out there and kiss him again? Of course it would be unwise. Oh but he tastes like chocolate and strawberries!" she went on ranting while pulling off her wet robes and undergarments. She went to her wardrobe and put on a par of deep purple robes that fit her like a second skin. She brushed her hair and put it into a loose ponytail. Flopping down on her bed, she petted Louis, still fretting about the kiss.

Out in the common room, Draco was still sitting on the couch. He touched hips lips or about the tenth time. His entire body was still tingling. When she had pulled back, he had wanted to kiss her again. She tasted like snow and cinnamon, like a mix of winter and fall, he thought. Her scent still lingered on him, like violets and lemon.

He could hear her mumbling in her room. The only thing he could make out was her mournful cry of ," Oh but he tastes like chocolate and strawberries!". he couldn't help but laugh a little. She was a strange girl, but Draco thought it was definitely a good strange. A picture came to his mind that surprised and even frightened him a little. It was of him and her. Beth was holding a baby girl in her arms while Draco had a little boy on his shoulders. The girl had platinum blonde hair and green eyes. The boy had black hair and blue-grey eyes with small, almost imperceptible red x's through either eye. Draco knew that they were Beth and his own children. He also knew that that was crazy. He hadn't even known the girl a day. He heard a door creek open. He looked back and saw Beth creep out. It looked almost like Louis was trying to push her out ahead of him.

"Umm… hello, Malfoy… Stop pushing me Louis, I'm going!" she yelled at the little creature. "I… uhh… I came to… talk? Yes talk!" she glared down at Louis, "You bite me again and ill throw you in the lake!" she mumbled it him.

"Umm… sure. Come and sit down." Draco felt like his heart was going to burst. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her, take her right there on the couch. But she wanted to talk. They would talk. She sat down.

"I'm sorry I kissed you…. Wow… I feel like a four year old saying that."

"You are?"

"Are what?"

"Sorry?"

"Yes… well… no" she mumbled the last part."

"Come again?"

"Yes I am very sorry that I kissed you Malfoy!" she said very loudly, looking down defiantly at Louis who glared right back at her.

"Draco" He said, not looking at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Draco. It is my name and I would like you to use it." he was breathing rather hard, but trying to hide it from her.

"Um… yeah… I guess you can call me Beth…" she was a little confused. " I think… that maybe if we are going to be living together… we should get to know each other… So umm… what's your family like?" she was avoiding his gaze at all costs.

"why do we have to start with family." he sighed deeply and Beth finally looked at him, "with my father in Azkaban, its been really hard. My mum is really broken up about it."

"It looks like you might be a bit broken up as well… Draco." she moved a little closer to him, trying to offer comfort, though not really knowing why.

"Well… yeah. Despite what people think, my father isn't a bad guy. We always got along. Its really hard for us. But we think he'll be out soon. Maybe even before summer is over. You know I don't think that I've ever let anyone see the real me before. The me I am at home. You aren't going to tell anyone that I'm not a total prat are you? It would really hurt my image." he smiled at her.

"you aren't a total prat?" she asked him jokingly and with a smile, "Of course not. Now tell me a bit more about yourself. I think I could like you if I got to know you." she moved a little closer, turning so that she was facing him.

"Umm… well there isn't much to tell about me.." he said.

"Anything. Even if its stupid sounding."

"Well… umm… my favorite color is black. My favorite food is… umm… I really don't know… maybe eggplant?" Beth made a funny face at this, "What? Its good!"

"I'm sure…" the look was still on her face.

With an amused sigh, he continued, "Umm.. I love to read. My favorite author is Stephen Kin. His dark Tower series is my favorite."

"He is that American author, right? Muggles can be so blind. I heard they don't even suspect he is a wizard."

Draco laughed, "I thought you liked muggles?"

"To a point. I mean, they have come up with some pretty kick ass things, CDs , computers, hell the drugs and things they come up with are insane. I guess without magic they have to find something to occupy themselves with, but I swear to Freya there isn't a creature on this planet who can screw up their brains better than muggles can. I've still got some CDs and my CD player. They were in the pocket of the robes of was wearing when my mum…Mrs. Weasley blew up my room."

"She blew up your room?"

"We… Yeah, she wasn't too happy that the person she thought was her daughter was really the daughter of Tom Riddle. She kicked me out. that's why I'm here, I thought I told you that." she crossed her legs Indian-style.

"You said that you were kicked out, not that the woman you thought was your mother most of your life blew up all of your things!" he looked furious, though neither of them could figure out why.

"It really isn't that big of a deal. I mean, it was hard for me to wrap my head around at firs. That I'm not me… but now I just don't think about it. I learned after that thing with Hagrid that that was the best course of action." she looked away a little and with a sigh, pulled her knees up to her chest.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." he sounded sincere. He took a deep breath and asked her, " Are you really sorry that you kisses me? I just mean... well… I'm not." He was looking in every direction but hers.

" Umm… not really. But I haven't even known you a day. I mean really know you. I've know who you are for years but…"she sighed softly, "Can I tell you something without you laughing?"

"Of course, I swear I wont laugh." he looked at her again.

"well.. You know that crush I had on Harry?"

"Yes?" he made a face.

"Well… that was all my mum…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… when I was on the platform to see Ron off, I saw Harry of course, but I didn't think he was attractive. I saw you and asked Mrs. Weasley who you were. She said that you were that you were Lucius Malfoy's son, Draco. I told her that I liked you. She grounded me for a week and said that I had to like Harry or she would never let me get my wand. So… I forced myself to become obsessed with him. For a while I forgot about you. Until of "got over" Harry. I saw you at the Yule Ball and the old feelings came back. Wow… now I kinda feel like an idiot." she buried her face in her knees.

Draco laughed slightly.

"You said you wouldn't laugh! Draco you swore!" she said laughing a little herself. She punched him in the shoulder playfully.

"I know, but its so funny all these years people thought that you were obsessed with Potter and it turns out you really liked his me!" he laughed harder.

"Yeah… I guess it is a little funny." she giggled.

He looked at his watch, "its almost time from lunch, you want to head up to the great hall and get something?"

"Oh yeah, I'm starved. Lets head up now." she said, jumping up.

"how are you starved, you just ate! " Draco said, surprised.

" I eat a lot. Its from growing up in a house with six brothers. You eat when you can and when you can eat a lot."

Draco laughed and got up. Beth followed him and they sat together at the small table. There was a choice of roasted chicken or an assortment of sandwiches. Beth piled on some chicken and took five sandwiches. Draco couldn't figure out where she was putting it all. Did this girl have a second stomach? He couldn't eat a fourth of what she was eating.

Draco put down the chicken he was eating, "How can you do that? Where does it all go?" he looked under the table.

" What do you mean?" she looked at him under the table.

"All the food! Where did it go? You couldn't have eaten that much. There is just no way." he sat back upright.

"I already told you. I eat a lot because that's what I'm used to. Even at school I had to worry about my brothers taking my food. At home I ate a lot because my mum served a lot because she was used to serving boys." she finished off her last sandwich re filled her juice and grabbed another.

Draco just shook his head in disbelief.

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**Well, that was chapter five…. I think it's the longest one I've written so far. And for those of you who are wondering aboutDraco's bruises and what not,I will get to the reason they healed in either the next chapter or the one after that.If anyone has any ideas for the next few chapters, feel free to e-mail me… the evil demons of writers black are trying to push in my door and dressers and the dining room table will only hold them off for so long. I like you guys and gals to input your opinions anyway. D**


	6. The New Term

**Alrightyy now, chapter 6! I'm going to try to get my chapters up quicker now! I promise. I just have to learn to live without sleep! Lol, just kidding. Now this is just a warning, I do not like Harry Potter or the Dream Team. This comes through in how I write them. If you happen to like them I cry your pardon and ask that you don't take offence to the way they act. Thankee-Sai**

**Another little warning. There is a rather lot of foul and profane language in this chapter and ones after this one. If you have a problem with that kind of language, feel free to message me and I'll be glad to e-mail a cleaner version to you. **

The summer continued on like this, with the two teens becoming closer to each other than they had to anyone in their lives. Draco told Beth about him life at home and how, while his family was Death eaters, they had always been loving and kind to each other. His mother was unable to have children, so they saw Draco as their miracle child. His father and him had always been close. He told her about the "camping trips" he took when he was younger. Because of tensions with his father being a suspected Death Eater, they couldn't really go camping, so his father would set up a room in the manor and together, they would paint trees in the walls and bring all the potted plants in so it was like camping. Then they would set up a sheet fort and spend the weekend pretending to be great explorers. When he told her this, she smiled sadly at him. She knew that it must be really hard for him to have his father in prison.

She told him about what she remembered of her life before the Weasleys, which wasn't much. Very vaguely, she remembered seeing her father, a few times. The last time she remembered was when her mother finally figured out who he was. she didn't remember exact details, only that her mother was frightened and that she was too. But she also remembered that Voldermort wasn't what scared her. It was her mothers fright that had scared her.

In addition to Draco and Beth both becoming closer, Beth also became much closer to Professor Snape. She spent many afternoons with him, just talking about her life before, as a Weasley and the few things she remembered of her mother. Snape became a sort of father figure to her that summer. Despite this closeness, however, her repeated requests for being re-sorted fell on def ears.

Near the end of summer, Beth took her O.W.Ls. She received Es in Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Astronomy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Care for Magical Creatures and an A in Divination. She was now an official 6th year. The day before school started, the night of the Feast, Draco found Beth pacing from one end of the common room to the other.

"Hey, B! what's the matter? If you keep going like that, you're going to wear a hole in the carpet." he took her by the hand and sat her in one of her favorite chairs.

"Draco, school starts tomorrow Ron will have told everyone about me and they are all going to hate me and Dumbledore still wont let me change houses! I can't go back to Gryffindor Tower. And I can't stay here all alone! And I know you want to go back to Slytherin." she picked up Louis and hugged him, " So I'm freaking out over all this! And what are they going to say about my being in 6th year now?"

"Elizabeth! Control yourself. They aren't going to hate you and they aren't going to care that you are in 6th year. And you wont need to stay here alone because I'm staying here and I'm sure that Dumbledore will let you resort eventually. You know I'll be here every step of the way, Beth. You don't have anything to worry about. I'll even come and sit at the Gryffindor table if you want me to. We are in this together, yeah? phoenix and dragon forever, right?" he laughed and nudged her dragon covered arm with his phoenix donned one.

She breathed in deeply and set Louis on her shoulder, "yes… of course, you're right." she sighed again, " I know that I should be so worried. I'm sorry. I guess the stress of all this is finally really catching up with me."

"now you need to get ready. The start of term feast is going to start in just a few hours. You need to be able to show off the new you! No one will mess with you, I promise. And if they do, I'll kick their asses, right Louis?" Draco grinned down at the little beast and he meowed back at him. Beth nodded and went to her room to pick out the robes she would wear to the Feast. It took her about a half hour to pick out the right ones she wanted while Draco sat in the common and read with Louis sitting on the top of the chair, peering over his shoulder and into the book. ( My kitty Louis does that to me all the time, I think its really cute). She then went to the bathroom to take her shower. After about another hour, Draco finally got sick of waiting his turn and knocked on the door.

"Hey, B! can I come in? I just need a couple things!" he yelled through the door.

"Yeah, no problem. The door is open, just don't knock my clothes into the sink while its running again!" she answered, her voice slightly muffled my the water and the door.

He entered the bathroom in his boxers and went in search of his hairbrush. Beth looked over the top of the shower and whistled.

"Love the baby dragons, Draco." she laughed, referring to his shorts.

"Oh please! I've seen those Muggle Teletubby underroos you have. You have no place to talk. By the way, McGonagall said that someone was gonna come and get us when the students started to get here. that's when we will have to head up for the Feast." he looked into the mirror, having the intention of brushing his hair. "must you fog up the mirror? You don't need that water to be boiling when you shower, so you? I can't see a bloody thing in here!"

Beth turned off the water, "how is this, you give me that towel over there and I'll do your hair for you. That way you wont need a mirror. I'll even pick out your clothes for you."

With a shrug, he handed her large fluffy green towel over the shower. Beth wrapped it around herself and stepped out, still dripping slightly. She squeezed some of the excess water from her hair and into the drain. Draco handed over the hairbrush with a sigh.

"So, when did Minnie say that they were going to come and get us?" she asked, pulling her own hair up into an intricate bun.

"she didn't. just said that when the train pulled in and the students started to arrive." he answered her, brushing his teeth, still squinting to try and see past the foggy mirror.

Beth shrugged and moved behind him, leaning on his back to try and reach all of his hair as he was much taller than her. She gave up on trying to brush it from behind and moved to the front of him and sat on the bathroom counter so that she was raised more to his height. Being careful to keep her towel in place, she pulled him a little closer. Unfortunately for them, this was a position that failed to look decent form any angel. Also quite unfortunate was that this happened to be the exact moment that Professor Snape happened to come into the common room.

"Mr. Malfoy, Elizabeth! Might I ask what is going on in here?" he looked both angry and scandalized at the same time. Only after Snape brought their position to their notice did either of them even realize what position they were in. as it happened, they had spent much of their time together getting ready in that same way. Draco quickly stepped away form Beth while she hopped down off of the counter.

"Uncle Sevy! Hi! I was just doing Draco's hair!" she said, blushing furiously, looking frantically between a fuming Snape and a stunned Draco.

"Elizabeth…. Mr. Malfoy. Just, please, go and get dressed. I will expect you in the Great Hall in less that half an hour." he said with a heavy sigh. With that, he left the room.

Beth sagged slightly while Draco stood stock still.

"Draco… Drake? Are you alright? You look a little bit ill…" she touched his shoulder lightly.

"He is going to kill me. I'm going to die. I am only sixteen…. I'm too young to die. Not to mention too pretty…" he said, looking at her with a slightly "deer in the headlights" sort of look.

"What? Oh! Uncle Sevy….yeah… you might want to watch out about him." she steered him into his room and sat him on his bed. She then went to his wardrobe and pulled out some clothes for him. "Now you just put these on and I'll talk to Uncle Sevy after the Feast. I'll just explain what happened.

Draco nodded mutely, holding his clothes tightly in his fist, looking down at them like he didn't know what they were. Beth went back to her room and changed into school-style robes, with a bit of a twist. They were low cut and hung on her every curve, without looking like they were skin tight. The two had thought this style out carefully. At first they had contemplated giving up the robes totally and going for Muggle clothes, but decided that that would have been too much of a shock to the students and teachers. They would work up to that. She had already put her hair up in an intricate bun, a few wisps and locks of hair trailing around her face and down her back. She did her make-up with black eye liner with a little bit of green shimmering eye shadow that set off the green that shimmered in her hair when the light hit it right. Her lips were just the right shade of red that it was almost possible to think that it was natural, but a little bit too dark for them to not think it wasn't gotten the same way that vampires managed the human glow after a feeding. ( I'm a big fan of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, so you might hear a few more references like that.) When she finally came out of her room, 15 minutes had passed and Draco was in the Common already dressed and waiting for her. Once again, the thought that she looked like a goddess passed his mind.

"Does it look alright? I feel a little weird. I've only ever worn these clothes around you when we modified them. Do you… think its too much?" she said, smoothing out wrinkles that weren't there.

"You look beautiful, Beth. don't worry about what they think. The only one who matters is you. Now come on, Snape is going to kill me if we are late. Even more than he is already going it" he said with a heavy sigh. He got up and together they made their way up to the Great Hall, a trip they had made together many times that summer. Just outside, they could hear people talking about them.

"It's true! You know that girl? She was just pretending to be a Weasley. Yeah! I heard that You-Know-Who sent her in as a spy. Yeah! And I just heard Professor Snape talking to Dumbledore, he just caught them shagging in their dorm bathroom. Apparently, they spent the whole summer living together. _all alone."_

_"_No way. You are totally lying!"

" Not at all! Oh look, here comes Malfoy, that girl with him must be her."

"Hush, will you! They'll hear you."

Beth smirked and laughed as she passed the two third year Hufflepuffs that had been talking. They had shut up as soon as Draco and Beth had come into sight.

Draco leaned over and whispered in her ear, joining Beth in smirking at the reaction it caused in the other students, "Do you want me to come with you. It would certainly give them something to talk about."

She shook her head with a smile, "No, I'm sure there are better things for them to talk about than us. It would be rude if prevented them from finding it themselves. I'll see you back in the Hole tonight ( which is what I decided to name their dorm)."

Draco nodded and gave her a quick hug. They parted and went to their respective tables. Draco's housemates greeted him with pats on the back and warm half-hugs that are so popular with all men. Beth, however was shunned by her former friends. She was glad that she had already come to terms with this reaction. She sat at the end of the table with everyone's backs turned to her. Someone near the head of the table, it looked like Seamus, shouted "Whore". she just smirked at them and shot him the bird.

Although they were trying to ignore her, there were many guys who couldn't help but look at her new body. She wasn't trying to bring any attention to herself. In fact, she was going to act like nothing changed until one of them was hostile towards her. The only remotely rude thing she had done was flip someone off.

Draco grinned at her from across the room. He knew she could handle herself. It didn't take long for the first years to be sorted, most of them went into Hufflepuff. After Dumbledore gave his beginning of the year speech, the feast was served. He hadn't mentioned her at all. Trying not to bring attention to me, she thought.

After a little bit, people began to talk to Beth, though not kindly.

"Hey, whore!" that one sounded like Ron's obnoxious voice. Beth didn't answer but continued to enjoy her green beans and roast beef.

"Hey, Bitch! You answer when you are called, got it?" this time it was Hermione, there was no way to mistake that grating voice. Beth once again ignored them and made her way to tasting some of the chicken. The boy next to her, looking like a second or third year, pushed her nearly hard enough to knock her from her seat.

"You are being spoken to!" he said with a growl.

Beth looked at him like he was a sweet child who had gotten something wrong and needed to be corrected, "I didn't hear any one say my name. though, I do believe that two people were just addressing you mother. Is she here? It would be so nice to meet her. I don't remember my own much….hmm.." she shrugged and gave him a saccharine sweet smile and went back to her food.

Finally, Harry walked over to her and spun her around roughly.

"Oh, Hello Harry. Good to see you again. Did you have a good summer?" she looked at him with the same overly sweet look she had given the boy.

"I believe that Ron was calling to you, slut. You answer him." he hissed, with a malicious smile on his face.

"Well, if he wanted me, why on earth didn't he call my name? You were there when it was given back to me weren't you? Have you forgotten it? Elizabeth." she answered them.

"Fine the, Elizabeth." Ron said, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Yes, Ronald, is there something that I can help you with?"

"I just wanted to inform you that you are a whore and a slut and you are no longer welcome in Gryffindor Tower." He said, trying to stay calm.

"Its very sweet of you to warn your dear former sister, you unoriginal dumb ass. But you didn't need to tell me anything, because I don't plan on staying in Gryffindor Tower this year or any other year." she said this very nicely, as if explaining it to a young child.

"Oh yes, it seems that we forgot. You are living with Malfoy now, aren't you?" Harry sneered.

"Yeah, he is actually a really good roommate, as long as he doesn't leave his wet towels all over the couches in the common room!" she said the last part just loud enough so that he could hear her. He looked at her them flipped her off.

Turning to one of his friends, he said "I did it once and she freaked out…. So now I always do it."

Harry glared at her, "Yeah. I bet you just love living with him. Get a quick shag anytime you want it. Is it an every day thing, or is it just special occasions like to day. We heard about what happened with Snape."

"oh, please Harry, I haven't shagged Draco or anyone for that matter. All Snape saw was me brushing his hair." she said lazily. Harry Ron and Hermione all sat down as not to cause too much more commotion.

"Lame alibi Delecourte. Last I checked, brushing someone's hair and fucking them don't look too much alike." Hermione hissed.

"Yeah… I suppose if the two people are fully dressed. I had gotten out of the shower. Had a towel on, he had in his shorts. I sat on the counter with him in front of me so I could get to his hair. He is kind of tall you know. Snape came in and it didn't look good. that's how it happened, not that any of you deserve an explanation." she said, looking at them rather blandly.

"Bitch" Harry spat as he went back to his seat with the others.

"what's your point?" she answered him with a little pouting look.

She returned to her food, only to be bothered all night by those wondering about her connections with her father, her relationship with Draco and how she felt being a dead girl. The whole night, she was glared at by the Dream Team. She was quite content to smile and wave back at them, occasionally blowing kisses at Hermione and winking. This made Ron red in the ears. Beth almost fell out of her chair laughing at the picture he made. Harry and Ron both got up again and stormed over to her.

"You fucking little cunt! You disrespect us one more time and we will have to take some drastic measures." Ron said in a hushed but heated voice.

"Oh no! Now I'm quivering 300 galleons designer Jimmy Chu knee-highs." she pretended to look sacred.

Across the hall, Draco was watching this all very carefully. He almost leapt over the table when he saw Harry and Ron draw their wands on her. Carefully, though, as not to alarm the teachers. Draco slowly took his seat again when Beth looked at him and shook her head. She would do this on her own.

"I wouldn't do that boys. It would be far from smart." she said coldly to them

" What are you going to do, sic Daddy on us?" Harry said sarcastically.

"Yeah, we are a year ahead of you, Delecourte. We know more and are better than you." Ron chirped in a superior fashion.

She laughed at him coldly, "a lot you know. I'm a 6th year now, boys. That would mean the same as you. I took my O.W.L.s over the summer. I got Es on everything with the exception of Divination. That would give me an OWL in every subject, wouldn't it? That would also give me better grades that your precious little Mudblood Granger. Go ahead, fuck with me. I'll kick both of your asses from here to Salem, got it!" her eyes flashed red, as they had the first night she had met Draco.

"You're lucky this time, Delecourte." Harry answered, taking Ron by the shoulders and walking him back to their seats.

Beth laughed at their antics, but softly because she really just wanted to eat. Finally, the Feast was over and she made her way over to Draco.

"Hey, I'm going to try to talk to Uncle Sevy, okay? I'll see you back at the hole in like 10 minutes. Hopefully…." she gave him a smile and a quick hug before making her way over to the teachers table. Snape had seen her coming and stood.

"Uncle Sevy, can I talk to you?" she said making her way over to the table.

"Yes, Beth, what is it that you need?" he answered her in a rather helpless fashion that was so out of character for him that it nearly brought Beth to tears.

"What you saw earlier…. In the bathroom- " Snape cut her off.

"Please, Beth, I really don't want to talk about that…" he said rubbing his temples.

"You talked to Dumbledore about it!" she said, her anger flaring slightly.

"Its Professor Dumbledore, and that isn't the point." he answered her.

"Well I just wanted you to know that it wasn't what it looked like. I had just gotten out of the shower. Draco couldn't see in the mirror, since it was me who fogged the mirror all up, I said I would brush his hair. That was all that happened, Severus. I swear it on mamma's grave. He is my best friend., anything like that would be weird." he said this with all the conviction she could muster, hoping it would be enough. Fortunately for her, it was. And though she said that it would be weird, she knew it wouldn't. the small kiss that they had shared at the beginning of the summer was proof enough of that.

Snape smiled at her, "I suppose. You know that you're like the daughter I never had. You mother was my best friend and the love of my life, and you are so much like her. Its just hard for me to deal with the fact that you are the little girl that I last saw, the little girl that I thought had died. I don't know what I would do if I lost you again." he gave her a quick hug.

"I really am sorry about all that Uncle Sevy. I'll see you tomorrow, yes? I have to get back to the Hole before Draco thinks I got lost…. Again." she smiled ran towards the door. Snape just shook his head. What had he gotten himself into. He had pretty much adopted the spirited young woman.

Beth walked down the hall to the stairs that lead to her part of the dungeons. When she was at the bottom, someone grabbed her form behind. At first she thought it was Draco, playing a joke on her, but quickly changed her mind. This person was too small to be Draco, too wiry.

"Hello Elizabeth." A voice hissed into her ear.

* * *

**Well, I hope you liked it! I know it took me forever to get this chapter up and I'm really sorry. I've been working almost non-stop and when I'm not working, I'm trying to sleep. Plus I'm moving so I have to pack, so the only time I've been able to write is at 5 in the morning before yoga. I'll try to get the next chapters up sooner.**


	7. The End of Innocence

-1**Alright now. Next chapter. Hope you guys like this one! **

**This is a WARNING! This chapter is rather graphic. Anyone sensitive to subjects concerning rape should NOT read this. It is not my goal to upset anyone and I would rather someone not read this than be offended or upset by it. There is also a lot of Potter and Dream Team bashing from now on…. Even more so than before. Please understand that I know that these characters are very OoC, however, this is my story and I don't like them, so they get to be bastards. D and if you want to read this chapter sans graphicness, just e-mail me and I'll be glad to send it to you. It will be shorter that way, but it will have a lot less sensitive material.**

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Beth stood stock still, almost frozen. There was a sharp pain in her neck then a spreading numbness. She couldn't move any of her limbs. She could feel them and were aware of them, she just couldn't get them to move. She began to panic.

"What…what is going on? Who are you?" the only thing holding her up not was the man behind her. He turned her around and she gasped, "Harry! What are you doing?"

"I'm just getting my own little taste from Malfoy's well. I figured I had better shag you before you got too torn up. A whole summer can do a lot of damage." he answered maliciously as he dragged her into a small room behind a tapestry. It was filled with old dusty blankets and pillows.

"Harry, I already told you! I haven't been with Draco, or anyone! I'm a virgin, Harry. A virgin!" she was becoming more and more frightened by the second. "What did you do to me. Why cant I move!?" she realized now that she couldn't fend him off in this state. She couldn't reach her wand and her wandless magic couldn't be triggered with her mind in such chaos.

"It's a potion I had Hermione make for me. Originally I didn't think to use it this way. But I think that this might be a lot more satisfying than the original plan." he licked his lips in anticipation. " causes paralysis throughout your body, from the neck down of course. However, unlike natural paralysis, you can feel everything." He had her on the floor now, and was keeling over her with a malicious smile. He looked like a rabid animal. " its effects last for hour when injected into the blood stream. We could be here just as long as we want." he began to undress her. There were tears running down either side of her face now as he ran his fingers across her skin.

"Don't! please stop this!" Beth sobbed, but he was ignoring her. He ran his finger from her naval then between her legs. With a sigh of disappointment one might expect to hear from a parent when their child doesn't do well on a test, he drew his hand back dry. He was angry that he should be so painfully aroused while she was simply not.

"Come, now, Elizabeth. I know you want me. Just give into it like a good little girl." he cast a silencing spell on the room and mounted her. She was screaming at him to stop, be rational. But he seemed to be def to it. He thrust into her roughly and her innocence was torn away from her with once quick painful strike. She screamed, unable to do anything to stop her attacker. She looked up at him pleadingly, but saw suck raw hatred in his eyes that she just closed her eyes and tried to forget that she was there. It was too hard for her to ignore the pain though. He hadn't let her get used to him and was pounding into her. It felt like her insides were being torn apart.

"So… I guess…. You were…. Telling the truth." he panted between thrusts.

"Stop. Please stop. No…. this cant be happening. Stop Harry! STOP!!" she was sobbing and screaming now, the pain and humiliation breaking down any sort of reasoning she might have once possessed. She could feel the blood trickling between her legs.

Before Harry came, he pulled out and cast some sort of spell. Beth was nearly screaming for joy. He was done. He was going to leave he alone now. Unfortunately she was wrong. He got right back on her and took up where he left off. He did this over and over. Beth couldn't even count the times. It really was hours, just like he promised. The pain was beginning to cloud her mind. She couldn't think, she had long ago stopped screaming, realizing that it would only cause her more pain. Finally, Harry got off of her and this time, instead of casting the spell that apparently allowed him to feel orgasm without actually spending himself, he got dressed. There was blood all over her the blankets. At some point he had begun to hit her. Her face, her sides arms, legs. She barely felt it. By that time she could barely register any raise in the pain. Only that it was there and she wanted it to stop. On either side of her head, there were blood dirtied tears staining the blanket.

Harry took off the silencing spell and turned to her. "Thanks, you were great." he laughed at her and left.

After a little while, five minutes maybe she realized that she could move again. Still cry, unable to stop it seemed, she pulled on her clothes and curled into a corner, afraid to leave. She could hear a voice outside, calling her name and her sobbing in creased. He was coming back for her again. He hadn't really been done, just toying with her. The tapestry moved aside and her hid her face in her knees sobbing and screaming.

"No…. not again, please, not again. Just got away… just please go away." she begged.

"B? Beth is that you? It's Draco." Draco called out. His eyes not used to the dark within the small room. Once he finally acclimated his eyes, he gasped, "Beth! Oh god Beth, what happened?!" he kneeled next to her and gathered her in his arms. She cling to him for dear life. Her whole body shook with the force of her crying.

She was incoherent, "Don't let him Draco! Draco keep him away….. It hurts…. It hurts so bad Draco. Stop the hurt Draco." Seeing all the blood and her state of hysteria, Draco became more than a little scared for her.

"Beth, you have to tell me what happened." he said after a little while, stroking her hair, trying to calm her down.

After a few more moments, she seemed to become more aware of herself and answered him, "He raped me. Harry did. Over and over…. So many times…. I thought he would never let me go. He said I deserved it…. don't let him hurt me anymore Draco… please"

He nodded, rage beginning to boil in his belly. "He raped you?! I'll kill him" he growled to himself and pulled her to her feet.. "Come one. I'll take you to the hospital wing. You need a doctor."

"no. just…. Help me back to our rooms. Get Uncle Sevy. Have him bring Minnie." she tried to stand on her own but fell, screaming out in pain.

"Alright, alright! Just… let me carry you. Come on." he picked her up bridal style. She began to cry again.

" I knew it. I knew something bad was going to happen, that they would hate me. I want to hurt them, Draco. I want to be that horrible person they think I am…. And I hate myself for it…. Hurry , Draco… it hurts so bad.." she was still bleeding from the numerous cuts on her body and from between her legs.

Draco hurried as fast as he could without jolting her back to their rooms. Once in the common room, Louis came running towards them, nearly screeching out his dismay and anxiety. Draco set Beth on one of her favorite couches and put and blanket around her. She was becoming deathly pale from her blood loss. It didn't seems like her blood wanted to clot so she just kept bleeding. A side effect of the potion she was injected with.

"Beth, can you hear me? I'll be right back, I promise! everything will be fine Beth. You just wait here for me." he ran to Professor Snape's office and explained what happened. They went together to retrieve McGonagall and the three of them hurried back to the Hole. Beth was found, still on the couch, half asleep. Louis was on her stomach mewling piteously for his mistress, trying to keep her awake.

"oh gods…" McGonagall looked as if she might vomit at the sight of all the blood now bleeding though onto the blanket and staining the white of Louis' fur.

"I told you she was bad. She keeps bleeding. It just wont stop! Please, help her. She wont go to the hospital wing." Draco was now near hysterics at seeing her having gotten so much worse since he left her not 2 minutes ago. ( by the way… I had the feast end at 9... So right now its about 12:30-12:45... Somewhere around there…)

"Calm down Mr. Malfoy. We'll fix her up. What did you say happened to her?" McGonagall said, getting control of herself.

"He raped me! Harry raped me, damn it!" Beth screamed from her place on the couch, distressing Louis even more. He nuzzled her face, trying to calm her.

"Are you sure it was Harry? I really don't think he has that sort of malice in him…" she said, skeptically.

" No Minerva, she doesn't know who raped her!" Snape said with angry sarcasm. He took out a couple vials and gave them to Beth. "One to clot the blood she has left, one to replenish what she lost, one for the pain and one for dreamless sleep. Minerva, you take her to the bath and get her washed up then put her into some clean clothes. This potion will be for the morning, Draco you make sure she gets it. It will help to revive and replenish her strength. You stay close to her tonight and she will be staying with you for all of your classes tomorrow. I don't want Potter close enough to upset her. Minerva, allow me to take her on as a charge of my own house."

"Of course…" McGonagall nodded and went to find Beth clean clothes then levitated her into the bathroom. It was easy to get her out of the soiled clothes because they were ripped in places and were barely on her in the first place. When McGonagall saw the bruises and cuts all over the young girls body she gasped. Even with the healing that the potions had begun already, she looked like she had been beaten nearly to death. She carefully washed the sleeping girl's hair and body. When she was done, she redressed Beth in clean clothes that consisted of baggy green cotton pants and a t-shit that looked as if it may have once belonged to Draco. Snape knocked on the door and was let into the bathroom. He picked Beth up and set her in her bed. Louis immediately jumped right up one the bed and laid down next to her, looking ready to pounce if anyone dared try to harm her while he was there. Draco had been kind enough to clean Beth's blood from the distressed little animal's fur.

Snape regarded him a moment before he spoke, "She'll be okay. You can even go to class with her if you stay out of sight." he petted him lightly before turning.

Draco was standing just behind him regarding all this with cold and empty eyes, "I'm going to kill him, Professor. I'll make him suffer for what he did to her. Kill him slowly, torture him until he forgets who he was, but never what he did. He took something form her. Something that wasn't his to take and I will make him pay for it."

Snape nodded, "I know. And one day, when you join your father and I among the ranks, you will be able to see that happen. Our master knows that his daughter is here, and he will be displeased that she has been hurt like this. It will earn you respect, you being her protector here. With me watching over the two of you, it should earn us both a place of respect and safety among the ranks. You, even before you are old enough to join."

"I don't care about any of that. I just don't ever want her hurt like this again." Draco said, pain and rage shining behind his stormy eyes.

Snape was taken aback by this. He could still hear McGonagall in the bathroom, cleaning up. " do you… love her?"

This time Draco was taken aback. He hadn't really thought about it that way. He cared about her, would have given his life to have protected her tonight, if he had only known. Slowly, he looked up at Snape and just stared a moment. "I… don't know…. I haven't ever felt like this before. That much I do know… but as I haven't ever felt like this before, I cant rightly say, can I?" he looked back at Beth helplessly.

Snape gave him a knowing smile, "She will be fine. Don't worry about her. Hopefully, she will sleep through the night. However, if she does wake up give her this" he handed Draco a vial of acidic violet liquid. " It will help her back to sleep again." Snape transfigured a chair into a cot for Draco. " We will be going, you get some sleep. If you don't do well on the first day tomorrow it wont be just your mother you will have to contend with, it will be me."

With that, Snape left, closely followed by McGonagall. Draco went quickly to his room to change into a set of pajamas similar to Beth's. Back in her room he settled into the cot and quickly fell into an uneasy sleep. He awoke a few hours later to a blood curdling scream. When he looked over at her, he saw her sitting bolt upright and shaking. She was gasping for breath and looking around frantically. Louis, frightened by the sound, hat taken up perch on her headboard.

"Draco! Draco where are you?! Come here please!" she was crying again. She hadn't noticed him next to her in the dark.

"Beth, I'm right here. Don't worry, I'm right here." he moved to get onto her bed, but she beat him to it. She crawled into his got and was now clinging to him. He held her close and stroke her hair, trying to calm her down.

" I was so scared. I woke up and it was dark. I couldn't tell where I was. I thought I was still in that room and Potter was going to come back for me." she was beginning to calm down, but still wouldn't relinquish her hold on him.

"Shhh, it's alright. You're safe. You're here with me and I wont let him hurt you anymore." Draco took the vial of violet liquid off the side table and gave it to her. "Drink this and get back to bed. Snape said it would help you sleep.

"Let me sleep here? I know I'm safe here. I don't want to be alone." she whispered ashamedly, taking the vial.

"Of course, come here." he lifted his blanket and let her crawl in next to him. She immediately drank her potion.

"Thank you, Draco." she snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. She mumbled something like "eh lub oo" but was too far gone for him to ask her what those nonsense words meant.

"Good night, Beth" he kissed her on her forehead and fell into a much more restful sleep than he had been getting.

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**So…. That was chapter 7.… who hates me now? (hides from the various rotting foodstuffs she is now being pelted with) I know it was…. ACK! And what not but it needs to be this way for laterrrrrr. (whines) and I also know that it took me FOREVER to get this up…. But I just moved and we haven't had the internet for forever…. Please don't hate me or anything.**


	8. Rise From the Ashes

-1**Alright, this is assuming you didn't just try to kill me and are still reading this! I know that it was brought to my attention that something quite similar happened in a story quite similar to this one. I don't know, I have yet to come across a story like this one. If anyone knows the name of this story, PLEASE give it to me…. I don't like to copy… **

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The next morning, Draco awoke to find that Beth was no where to be found. At first this distressed him terribly, and then he heard a sound from upstairs. He got out of his makeshift bed and made his was first to the library and then to the gym where he finally found her. She was kicking and punching a punching bag she had enchanted to look like Potter. If it _had_ been Potter, he would have at the very least had some severe internal bleeding and a few broken bones. It looked a bit like it wanted to just fall apart.

"Hey," was all he said.

"Hey to you…. Too!" She said as she kicked the rather sorry looking Potter-Bag.

"You alright?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Yeah, fine." she said curtly. She continued beating the sorry crap out of the bag until it broke off its chain and spilled its sand all over the gym floor. She stared at it a while as Draco continued to watch her form the door. She turned to him abruptly and said, "I want you to help me contact my Father."

Much to Draco's surprise, her eyes looked quite a bit like her father's.

"Are you sure? I mean, I'll write my mum and have her do it for you, but are you really sure you want to be involved with him? I know it really bothered you that your mother might be a Death Eater. Getting in touch with dear old dad sort of puts you right up there with the worst of them. No offence." he said, studying her.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She looked like she was thinking. When she opened them, the whites of her eyes were a little more clouded, "He killed something inside of me last night, Draco. No… he didn't kill it, he tortured it slowly and laughed as it died. My innocence, my naivety… something, I don't know. Whatever it was it died and now I really couldn't care less if it was my mother herself who killed the Potters and all those other people. I'm broken, and its going to take a while to put all those pieces back in the right place. To become Elizabeth Delecourte again instead of who I am now… a Riddle in more way than one. I'm not even sure if I want to go back to the way I was. If it's worth it. Maybe I'll just stay broken." She paused then went on, "I'm going to go get a shower and get dressed, then we can go up and have some breakfast." she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

" Alright…. I guess I'll go get changed too. There is a rejuvenation potion in you room if you haven't already taken it." he said, leading the way down stairs. It was still quite early and they had another hour before anyone would be in the Great Hall for breakfast. They both got a shower, Beth commandeering the bathroom first.

She waited in the common room while Draco took his shower. She called Louis from the library and laughed quietly as he bounded out and down the stairs. She played with him for a little bit before Draco came out of the bathroom. He gathered his school things and looked at her, "You're coming to my classes with me. Snape doesn't want you to be… alone with Potter." he said, lifting Louis from her shoulders, trying not to make eye contact. "And Snape said that you are not to be caught out of this room! That means staying off her shoulders. Got that?"

He mewled at him grudgingly and trotted off towards the door. Draco nodded to Beth who nodded back and the three of them set off for the Great Hall.

"I'll be eating at my table… The Gryffindor table. I don't want that sick fuck Potter to think that he's made me afraid. And it might be a little bit of fun to toy with him for a bit. Maybe put me in a better mood. You can go ahead and take Louis with you. I don't need to have him all worked up over nothing." she said as they reached to Entrance Hall, bending down and petting Louis on the head before telling him to go with Draco this morning.

Draco reluctantly consented to allow her to dine at her house table. If that was what she wanted, then he wasn't going to stop her. Maybe she needed to. As they entered, they didn't say anything more to each other, but simply went their separate ways. The Dram Team had yet to arrive, which put his mind a little at ease for the time being.

He sat between Crabbe and Goyle and began to eat, acting like nothing was wrong, laughing and taking just like always. He didn't drop the act for a second when the Golden Trio walked in. He couldn't even if he wanted to; with the look that Beth had given him. She wanted them to think that they were safe. She smiled maliciously and put down her grit laden spoon.

She was loving every minute of this. The moment that Harry had forced himself on her, something had awoken. Something that had lain dormant in her for years. An ancient malice that burned her soul. She loved that look on Potter's face. A strange mix of smugness and surprise. Using every bit of will power she had, she removed the smile from her face and began to act frightened. She knew that someday those acting classes would pay off. The three of them sat around her. Hermione in front of her, Harry to he left and Ron to the right.

"Well, now, hello Elizabeth. How might you be doing on this fine morning?" Potter purred into her ear, just above the rumbling of the other students.

Inside her own head, she was laughing hysterically at his smugness, but kept it well hidden. The act went on, "I…I'm just…fine…" she stuttered out keeping her head down.

"Well isn't that just peachy. We didn't expect to see you here this morning. I suppose that you didn't tell anyone. It isn't like they would believe you anyway!" Hermione said cruelly.

"I know…umm… could you leave?" she answered in a quiet shaking voice. This was fun. She hid her growing smile behind a bite of her grits.

"Oh but Elizabeth, I do so love talking with you. You aren't frightened by me are you?" Harry said smiling arrogantly. He put his hand on her leg.

She thought that now was as good a time as any to break the act. She couldn't stand the feeling of his dirty hand on her again.

"Not really Potter, why do you ask?" she kept her head down, but her voice no longer held any sort of quiver. It was icy and hard. "Now get your dirty hand off of me before I have to take it off for you. And if you want me to do that, you might just not see it again!"

For a moment he looked as if he would actually remove his hand, but changed his mind, sliding it ever further up. With an annoyed sigh, as if she was trying to teach a misbehaving toddler something, she grabbed his hand. There was a spark of what looked like it may have been an acidic green lightning bolt. It traveled from her hand to his where it burned an angry red "R" into his wrist.

"Fucking Bitch!" Harry growled "I'll pay you back for that."

"Oh I'm sure that you will try. But, Harry, my dear Harry Potter, it seems you forget who I am. I won't be weak enough to fall into another of your little snares. This quivering little rabbit that you tried so hard to catch and destroy has come back as a snake" for the first time in the whole conversation, she lifted her head and looked Harry straight in the eyes. He gasped and nearly fell out of his chair. "Did you forget who my father was? Didn't you think that maybe if you took my innocence that I would have nothing between me and my Sire? The Dark Lord? Well, I'll tell you that I'm not so innocent anymore." She hissed at him, quite literally. She made sure that only Harry could hear her. He looked like he might vomit.

"Come on guys. I don't want to hang around this filth anymore. She is making me lose my appetite." He said with a desperate effort to sound superior. The three of them left, but not before a sneering Hermione dumped a cup of pumpkin juice on her.

Beth rolled her eyes as she cleaned her robes with a quick flick of her wand. After finishing her grits without any further incident, she went over to the Slytherin Table to wait for Draco to finish his breakfast.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" she asked as she sat across from him.

"Umm…. Looks like Care of Magical Creatures with… Gryffindor, Double Transfiguration, also with Gryffindor and then Charms with Hufflepuff. That's strange. Aren't we supposed to have one class a day with each house?" Draco asked as he read off the schedule he had just gotten.

"Yeah, but didn't I tell you what Luna said? The Ravenclaws all decided that they didn't need to be taking classes with all the other houses. The petitioned Dumbledore for special classes. She wrote me about it a while ago." she answered him off handedly.

"Oh well that sucks. So we have two classes with those gossiping little Puffs tomorrow." He stated, tucking the schedule away.

"Exactly. Now hurry up and finish. I'm bored." she said "By the way, have you seen Louis?"

"Yeah, he's under the table begging for scraps." he pointed to pansy Parkinson, who was looking around and slipping a bit of bacon under the table. Beth laughed a little at this.

"Hey, Parkinson!" she shouted to her.

"Yeah?" Pansy looked startled.

"Don't give him too much. I don't want him getting sick." Beth smiled kindly at her.

"Oh! I'm sorry." she put the piece of egg that was on her fork back on her plate.

"That's alright. He's a little beggar. It's Pansy, right?" she held out her hand to the Slytherin girl.

"Yeah." she grasped Beth's hand and shook it.

"I'm Beth. But I'm guessing that you already knew that. Everyone else seems to know who I am." Beth grinned.

"Yeah, nice to meet you. Maybe we could hang out sometime. You're going to classes with Draco, yeah?"

"Well… umm… yeah…" She looked a little embarrassed.

"It's alright. You don't have to explain anything. I just thought that we could chat in class. We can Potter Bash together. I know you can't like him very much. He is one of the asses that have been harassing you since last night. Now I'll have someone other than that Cow Millicent Bulstrode and you will have someone other than Draco to talk to. Plus that little beast of yours will have someone to beg off of." Pansy smiled and laughed as Louis jumped into her lap.

"Killer. Maybe you could help me drag the pig out of here?" she stressed the word pig and gestured to Draco, "Are you done with your breakfast yet?"

He had a sausage on his fork and was brining it slowly to his mouth, trying desperately not to laugh at the look on Beth's face. It was somewhere between total exasperation and amusement.

"Draco Damien Malfoy! If you don't hurry your ass up, I'll kick it for you!" she said, now joining Draco in his futile attempt not to laugh as he pretended to strain to get to his food.

She moved around the table and raised her foot, "Alright, alright! I'm coming! Don't have a hippogriff. My ass is too sexy to be marred with bruises."

"Oh please, Draco, I've seen your ass and it isn't any nicer than Louis'." Beth said, grabbing Pansy's arm and hauling her up. The grinned at her and whispered, "Three, two, one. RUN!"

Draco finally got that he had just been insulted and shouted after them, "Hey! Get back here!" he got up and chased them out onto the grounds, "Take that back! My ass is sexy and you know it!"

"Never!" Beth yelled back. By this time, Pansy was laughing so hard at their antics that she could hardly run anymore. They stopped running and let Draco catch up, Louis following behind him. Once he had caught up, Beth jumped on his back. "Give me a horseback ride to class. Come on, I'm not that heavy!"

"Not that heavy, my sexy ass! Get off of me you great cow!" he laughed.

"Never!" she shouted again, "Now come on, we're going to be late!" she actually did get off of him, then slapped him on the butt, "Now get that cute little ass of your's in gear. I'll be that Hagrid will be just thrilled at having me in his class first thing in the morning."

"Hah! I told you that my ass was sexy!" Draco said as he picked the two girls up and threw them over his shoulders. They were all laughing and Draco was stumbling around by the time they actually got to their class. When they arrived, everyone stopped to look at them. Draco let the girls down and sneered at the rest of the class.

"Mornin' class! Alight, since you are all upperclassmen I'll juss skip theh introductions. We're goin at be lookin at an animal from the Americas. Its called a Goatsucker." Hagrid said, brining to class to silence.

"Hey, I have an idea, why don't we study Delecourte. I'm sure she is weird enough to be studied in this class." Hermione said from the safety of the crowd.

"It's Riddle bitch! And I think it would be cool to be studied. Would I get to live in a glass bubble?" Beth answered happily. Draco and Pansy along with one or two other Slytherins snickered.

"Whore" Hermione said shortly.

"Ms. Delecourte!" Hagrid barked.

"It's Riddle! My name is Elizabeth Desdemona Virginia _Riddle_! My mother would have wanted me to have my fathers name. No matter if he was Voldemort or not." Beth shouted, annoyed. Everyone flinched.

"Fine then, Ms. Riddle, I wont be havin no foul language in my class. You yeh understand me?" He answered callously.

"Fo sho, I understand that the Mudblood over there can get away with that kind of shit because you might as well be one and you like her." she smirked at him.

"Get out of my class. Now." He answered through gritted teeth.

"Nope. I would just love to see you try to make me. I didn't do anything but express my opinion. Maybe I should transfer to Salem? I'll bet they wont play favorites over in America. Go Bush!"(just a little side note. I have to deal with two Bushes, one in Florida and the other our President…. I hate them both with a passion.) she said with a saccharine smile.

"Beth, please, behave yourself. Whether or not our oaf of a teacher plays favorites you still have to at least make it past your first class." Pansy said from her side, trying to hold back her smirk.

"Hmm… I suppose you're right. And Draco looks like he might die laughing." Beth answered with a sigh.

Hagrid grunted angrily and went over to a large box on a table near by. It seemed to be growling.

"I got the Goatsucker in here. Now he arent the prettiest thing, but, well, how 'bout I juss let you see." Hagrid opened the box and a small evil looking beast crept out. From behind Beth Draco and Pansy, Louis growled.

"Oh its so cute! Come here sweetie. Louis, please don't growl, he isn't that bad." Beth cooed at the two animals. Everyone turned to look at her. "What are you looking at? Boo!"

She laughed and went over to the little monster. It was trying to get back into its box, looking scared and confused. She picked him up and it buried its scaly head in her chest. "Oh you poor thing! Look at you you're shaking! You must be scared stiff. You're so cute! I'll bet that you and Louis would get along just famously."

Louis meowed and pawed at the bottom of her robes. "Don't worry, I didn't forget about you. Uncle Sevy is going to be furious that you're out like this. You _are _a jealous little thing aren't you?" she said, picking him up with her free hand and setting him on her shoulder. He looked down at the little creature in his mistresses arms with mild distain.

Hagrid snatched the Goatsucker away form her and set it back next to his box.

"Now as I was sayin'; this here is a goatsucker. It is a native of Puerto Rico, though they have been seen as far north as Southern Florida. They feed on the blood of farm animals, such as goats, where they get their name from. This'uns just a babe, bout a year old. Now there, I wancher all to come up here an git a good look at em."

Everyone began to inch forward to see the frightened little creature. When a loud voice boomed across the grounds from the castle, everyone jumped. "All 6th and 7th year students, please report to the Great Hall. All 6th and 7th year students! Please excuse the interruption, thank you."

Pansy looked at Beth and grinned. Beth looked at Draco and grinned and Draco looked between the two of them and laughed.

This is great, no more class with that dumb oafish excuse for a professor!" pansy said as they began walking back up to the castle.

"yeah… I guess. But you have to wonder what this is all about. I don't remember them ever interrupting classes like this before." Beth jumped back on Draco's back and giggled as Louis jumped on hers.

"You keep doing that Ms. Riddle and I believe that you will break that poor boys back." Snape said, seeming to appear out of no where from their right. There was an odd gleam as he said Riddle.

Oh Goddess! Uncle Sevy, you scared the hell out of me!" she nearly fell off of Draco's back. "Hey, wait…. Riddle? Does that mean….. Draco, did you talk to your mother already?"

Draco shook his head and looked at Snape. "Professor, what exactly is going on?"

Snape answered with a shake of his head and a gesture towards the castle. The three of them looked at him strangely as he gestured again, this time a little more urgently. With a nod, Draco led them quickly to the Great Hall, Beth having jumped from his back about half way there. Once inside, they found the Hall filling with happily chatting students. None of the others had even so much as thought that this might be something bad that the classes were being interrupted for. Nor did the bother to question why whatever it was that needed to be announced hadn't been announced during breakfast, not a half hour before. Pansy Draco and Beth all found seats together at the Slytherin table and waited for Dumbledore to call for silence. After another anxious ten minutes, Dumbledore rose and raised his arms for silence as he had done on so many previous occasions.

"Students, I have to request that you are all silent." The request was rather pointless as no one seemed to so much as breath, much less speak, once they had seen the grave expression on his face. "There has just been a report of an escape at Azkaban. Voldermort's followers have freed the prisoners and they are moving in this direction. Due to the uncooperativeness of the Ministry, they have already refused to aid in the protection of the school. Though I shudder to request this, if the barriers around the school and surrounding areas are broken down, it may become necessary for you older students to fight. Classes are to resume directly after the next bell. Until then, I will have to request that you all stay where you are. I thank you greatly and hope that it doesn't come down to seeking aid from the students that I am sworn to protect." He was silent a moment then walked soberly back to his seat.

**Alright guys and gals, that was chapter 8. Hope you liked it. Hopefully I can get the next few chapters up faster. Its been really stressful trying to get everything done with starting school again and picking up an extra two shifts at work. But I'm trying! (grin)**


	9. The Fury of a Broken Woman

-1**Here it goes! Chapter 9. Now I've been writing almost nonstop in my spare time to get these last three chapters up. I haven't had anything better to do, so aren't you guys in luck! I guess I'll just get right into it then!**

Pansy looked at Draco and Beth in awe, "So that must have been what Snape meant when he called you Ms. Riddle! The Dark Lord is making his move! He and the others are coming this way and the school is being asked to fight…."

"When he gets close, we have to go see him! I do, at least. Let's get out of here. I don't wanna sit in here with all these anxious faces staring at me. I know a place we ca --" Beth was cut off by a strong hand spinning her around.

Harry Ron and Hermione stood glaring at her, "This is your doing! You little bit, how you could bring him here!?" Hermione hissed.

"I didn't bring him here, my dearest. I haven't even been able to contact him. If he is coming here, it's probably for you." she answered in an annoyed tone, gesturing to Harry. "Come on Draco, Pansy, lets get out of here." with that she stood up and walked in the other direction. Draco followed but Pansy stayed behind.

"I've got something that I need to do. I'll catch up with you two in Transfiguration" she said, standing.

"Alright, everything okay?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, I'll see you later."

They parted their separate ways, Pansy going to the left and Beth and Draco going to the right. Beth led Draco over to a darker corner, away from most of the crowds and assigned him to watch duty. She muttered a few little things and then pushed on one of the stones. After a little bit of resistance, she slipped through the wall. Draco stared in a stunned silence then did the same himself. He found himself in a large room that seemed to be at the top of a tower.

"It's the old Northeastern Tower." Beth informed him happily.

"But that tower has been closed off since my Father was here. The staircase collapsed." Draco answered her, looking around the room.

"I know! I charmed the stone to bring the next two people to touch it here. Sort of like a portkey, but not. More like a portal. But either way, I figured my way up here a while ago. I really wanted to know what was up here and one night, after that big fight we had at the end of July, I was really pissed and I was muttering all sorts of things that Tom… err…. My father I guess…. Taught me. And then I punched the wall I had been yelling at. I ended up here. I've been sneaking stuff up here since then. Isn't it great!?" she grinned at him like a little girl showing off her crayon drawings.

"Yeah. You know, you are one amazing witch, Beth, I'll bet even Granger couldn't have gotten up here." he plopped down on a large beanbag chair.

"So.. Umm… What are we going to do about my Father? I just mean, yours is out now so…" she trailed off.

"I suppose that we just wait and see what happens." he answered.

Beth sighed deeply and sat down next to him. Her long hair spread out under her, lightly brushing his arm. A familiar longing spark shot through his body even at such a minor contact. He thought back to their kiss on the second night that they had known each other.

"You remember that night after I asked you for your help?" Beth's statement shocked Draco. She was speaking of the same night he had just been thinking of.

He turned and faced her. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

She was lying on her back looking at the ceiling with her face nearly totally obscured from his view. "Well… no never mind, it isn't important."

"No, tell me. What is it?"

"Did you… feel anything?" she said, a pretty blush spreading across her cheeks.

"No" he lied.

" Oh"

"Why, did you?"

"What? Oh, no. I was just wondering." she said quickly.

Draco thought for a moment then rolled over so that he was almost on top of her, so that he could see her face. "Elizabeth?" he said in a husky whisper.

"Yes?" she answered, her mind clouded. All that she knew was that she wanted him closer. His hair was slightly mussed and his normally clear grey eyes were almost black. She seemed to see his face as getting closer.

"I lied." he said as his lips touched hers. An electric fire ran through the two of them. A quiet whimpering moan escaped Beth's lips. She laced her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer. Tentatively, Draco and his tongue along her bottom lip, seeking entrance. The opened herself to him and they fought for dominance. This went on for some minutes, each one feeling as if they were a flame. Finally Draco pulled back, breathing raggedly. Beth whimpered and looked up at him through hooded eyes. After a few moments to catch his breath, he leaned down again and kissed her softly as not to hurt Beth's already slightly swollen lips. He trailed lightly kisses down her jaw line and to her neck, nipping and sucking here and there along the skin. Slowly, Draco slid his hand under her shirt and over the soft flesh of her stomach. She gasped his name as he bit her neck firmly, but not so hard as to hurt her. He moved his hand further into her shirt, massaging her breasts through her bra. His lips moved back to hers and all too soon it seemed to them, they heard the bell ring. Reluctantly, he pulled away from her. Both of them were totally disheveled.

"That was the bell…" Beth said in a hazy voice.

"Yeah…" Draco licked his lips.

"Oh shit! The bell rang!" she came back to her senses.

"What? Oh yeah, come one, lets go." he seemed disappointed.

"I really hope you don't have any thoughts about repeating that little act." she smirked at him when his face fell; "With any one else." she laughed lightly and kissed him fiercely then pulled back.

"You don't have to worry about that." he stood up and helped her to her feet.

"Let's go before we're late." she laughed again and ran out of the wall they had come in from. Draco followed not far behind.

Outside, in the Great Hall, he caught up to her. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him, "You are mine now, you know" he whispered in her hear.

"I wouldn't have that any other way. Now lets go! I hate being late to class." she grabbed his hand and dragged him to McGonagall's classroom.

Once inside, they sat next to Pansy, who was already there. She laughed at them when they finally settled themselves.

"What have you two been doing?! Did you get in a fight? You two are a mess!" Pansy whispered, trying to hold in her laughter.

"What? Oh no, we didn't get -- " Beth had been pulling at her hair, trying to get it to behave when Pansy cut her off.

"So _that's _what you were doing. Draco, you are awful!" she was nearly dying of laughter.

"What are you going on about?" Draco said, trying desperately to hush her.

"Look at that poor girl's neck! The very least you could have don't was a Concealing Charm!" Pansy whispered one of her own and giggled.

"Thank you Pansy." Beth said, now trying to stifle her own laughter.

"That isn't funny you two! Gods, you're like two little Muggle school girls carrying on like that." Draco said, exasperated.

"Oh don't get all hot and bothered, Draco" Pansy giggled, sobering slightly.

"Don't tell him that, Pansy! That is exactly what I want him to get!" Beth said as if scolding a small child.

This time all three of them were laughing.

"Elizabeth Desdemona Virginia Delecourte Riddle! You are just awful." Draco laughed, "Get over here" he pulled her into his lap and kissed her thoroughly.

"Get a room you two." Pansy choked out through her laughter.

"Mmmm, Gladly." Beth said, pulling back but retaining her positing on Draco's lap.

Professor McGonagall come in just a little before the Dream Team and stood in front of the class. "Good morning class. Its good to see you all back with us again. Now, as you have heard, Death Eaters are on the move and headed towards the school. You have all been informed that you may be called upon to defend the castle if we are attacked. We have been asked to rework our curriculum to better aid you. You will now be learning defensive and offensive spells in all of your classes, and those classes that are unnecessary will be postponed for you more advanced students until further notice. From now on, the classes that you will no longer count as a simple grade, they may well save your lives in the months to come. Now then, let's ge -- Yes Ms. Granger?"

"I think that it is dangerous to have the students fight. Not just in the obvious sense but because I'm sure that there are traitors among us." Hermione cast a scathing glance at Beth, who, from Draco's lap, returned a glare of her own.

"We have no choice Ms. Granger. We truly didn't want it to come down to this, but the ministry refuses to offer us any aid. Now, we should get class started. We are going to be learning how to turn our available materials into shields of sorts. Now, then, Mr. Potter, would you please distribute-- Ms. Delecourte, Mr. Malfoy! Would you be so kind as to disentangle yourselves from one another?! Return to your own seats" McGonagall said, finally unable to ignore their behavior.

"Sorry professor." Beth said, giggling. She gave Draco one last kiss and returned to her own seat.

"Now, as I was saying, Mr. Potter, would you please hand these stones out to everyone. The incantation is on page 384 in your books. There will be no talking other than the incantation, there will be no getting up and no raising of hands. Begin!" she sat at her desk and became engrossed in whatever paperwork she was reading, making little notes on her own sheet of parchment every so often.

Harry passed out the stones to everyone in the room, save for Draco and Beth. Even Pansy was given one. He smirked at her and sat down, whispering and laughing quietly with Ron and Hermione. Beth growled and shot them a look that could kill. The three of them laughed again and began their own work.

"Prof--" Beth started.

"I said no talking Ms. Delecourte. Just because you spent your summer here does not entitle you to special treatment." McGonagall cut her off.

"But--"

"No 'buts', Elizabeth, now do your assignment."

Beth growled again, a deep rumbling centered in her chest. It sounded more than a little animalistic. Her body became rigid and she looked almost like a wax figure in her stillness. With her father in her eyes and the Dragon on her arm burning she let loose an unearthly scream that shattered all of the glass in the room. The wand in her hand was throbbing with green pulses of light and where her hand touched, there were black sparks flying.

"Elizabeth!" a stunned professor said, "What did you do?!"

Draco looked up at her helplessly as he tried to hold Beth back. She was clawing at the table, trying to crawl over it to Harry and his cohorts. Growling another animalistic growl, she broke free of Draco's grip and hurtled herself towards the three people she used to think loved her.

"You bastard! I'll kill you for what you did to me! I swear it, ill fucking kill you! I hope you burn!" she screeched, her voice distorted by anger and something else, something much more sinister. Pansy caught hold of her robes and pulled Beth back a little. Draco jumped up and helped Pansy, grabbing Beth around the waist. "I'm not your little toy or your little whore! You wont ever touch me again!" she let loose a string of curses in a variety of languages, some of which, even McGonagall couldn't understand. " Let go of ,me! I don't want to hurt you but I sure as hell will if I have to. Let go!"

Draco looked at the Professor again, desperation shining in his mildly panicked yes. Beth now had an aura around her, it was starching towards the golden Trio who were frozen in place by fear or sheer awe. Never in all of their fights with Voldemort had they seen an anger like her. Either way, the creeping aura had begun to curl the pages of the books and sear the table when it touched these things, though it didn't seem to be affecting Beth, Pansy or Draco. McGonagall snapped out of her shock and put Beth into a full body bind. At that, Beth passed out, whether from the bind or the extensive show of power, it wasn't clear.

"My God… what just happened?" McGonagall looked shaken to her bones.

"You just let Potter piss of an incredibly powerful witch, then made matters worse by ignoring her." Draco said coldly. Pansy just glanced scathingly at her then to Potter and finally she knelt down next to her new friend.

But I…, I mean… I didn't…" McGonagall stuttered.

"I'll take her to the hospital wing. Pansy would you--" Draco stopped mid-sentence. Beth was already waking.

"Damn…" she muttered as she sat up.

" damn is right, Beth. Remind me not to piss yo0u off like that. That show of strength my first night was nothing in comparison. You could have killed everyone…." Draco pulled her into her chair.

"I could have, but I wouldn't have." she said quietly, as if finally realizing what had happened. "Don't look at me like that, Draco. Like I'm a monster. You always knew that I had power." she looked around with dead eyes, her voice an eerie monotone.

Beth grabbed the stone that pansy offered her, ignoring the flinch her friend made when their skin touched. She examined it closely before setting it on the table. With a tap of her wand and no words, she turned it into a small round shield of some sort of strangely shimmering metal.

"Professor, I'm done…" she said, again in that quiet, unnerving monotone voice.

Slowly, the rest of the class began to work on their own shields. McGonagall sat, still shaking. She couldn't understand the change in the girl. She had been sweet over the summer, having tea with her in the afternoons sometimes. Suddenly, as if they had been in some sort of a time warp while Beth had her tantrum, the end of class bell rang. Would they ever get to finish a class today?

Everyone got up, some still surprised by the bell, and packed their things up in their bags. Beth tried to ignore how everyone skirted her, obviously trying to keep their distance. Draco noticed her body go rigid each time someone glanced her way; full of fear and uncertainty. He wrapped his arm about her waist and pulled her into a hug. Pansy reached down to pick up hers and Beth's things, setting them on the table. The Dream Team gave the new trio a look that was difficult to discern. Pansy stroked Beth's hair and made an odd cooing sound. Beth gave her a weak smile and they made their way to Charms.

**That was it, boys and girlies. Chapter 9. I hope you liked it. Chapter 10 should be up in about a week or so…. Maybe a bit more…0.o**


	10. Mourn Me When I'm gone

**Not much to say…o.0 I'll just get into it!**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Weeks later, nothing else had happened. No one had forgotten what had happened in Professor McGonagall's class, but it seemed, for the first time, everyone had collectively decided not to speak of it. Pansy, Draco and Beth became inseparable. They became the contrary of The Golden Trio, having been dubbed by some of the more gossipy students as "The Silver Trio".

It soon became apparent that Harry Ron and Hermione would avoid their new rivals at all costs. Whether it was out of fear of Beth or because they were planning something was unnervingly unclear to the other students. Luna Lovegood was occasionally seen tramping the grounds with Beth and her cohorts, having already made a bit of a reputation for herself. For the most part she was still quite a unique young girl but had grown out of her incredible strangeness. She was once even over heard saying, "You know it is quite strange, Elizabeth, that you should become what you are today. It seems that you have become the female equivalent of what you hate to most. Mr. Potter. Instead of having Weasley and Granger behind you, you have the lovely Ms. Parkinson and Mr. Malfoy. Yes, I would say that it is quite strange indeed."

Beth simply stared at her odd friend for a moment and smiled. She knew quite well that Luna was right. It wasn't that, that unnerved her, it was not knowing what would come next. Her whole world was beginning to turn.

"Luna, dearest, why do you concern yourself with us?" Pansy asked her on one of the days that the three of them found themselves in the company of her.

"I don't know what you mean" Luna smiled inwardly, when the four of them were all together, they all took on a sort of romanticized form of speech that she loved.

Draco and Beth sat with their backs against the tree that they were sitting under, curious themselves.

"Only that you know us to be what we are. Two Death Eaters to be and the very heir to the Dark Lord's throne. It simply strikes me as odd that a girl like yourself would want to consort with our type. We aren't the best of people you know." Pansy stared hard at her.

Beth felt herself tighten. It was well known what and who they were, but to hear it aloud was difficult. If only because she didn't want Luna to turn against them. Luna was her friend and she would hate to see that look of fear and disgust that so many people looked at her with on her dear Luna's face.

"That is exactly why I "consort" with you. I may be "Loony Lovegood" but I am not, however, stupid. When the time comes to fight, there will be casualties, many of them. Some may even be these students,' she gestured to the other students milling around in the cool autumn air. " I plan on surviving. I happen to believe that you are the winning team. Whatever atrocities you will commit will be in the path of survival and nothing more. Anyway, I think it might be a little bit fun" an odd gleam shone in her eyes that made the other three smile.

"Interesting answer." Beth said, brushing a lock of hair form her face.

There was a short pause. A silence that stretched.

"So what exactly do we have planned for today? We can very well sit here all day long." Draco said with a sigh, shifting Beth's weight around in his lap.

"it's a Hogsmead weekend, why don't we go get some shopping done? I need a new pair of pants. You know, muggle clothing is highly underrated." Beth said.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Do you guys think that Blaise might want to come with us?" Luna said, trying to sound nonchalant, but was failing miserably. Pansy and Beth smiled at her knowingly and giggled a little. Draco just looked at them, confused.

"I don't see why he wouldn't…" He said, slowly.

" why don't you go and ask him, Lu Lu? isn't that him over by the lake?" Pansy said, grinning at Beth. There was no mistaking it was Blaise. His tall dark form stood out against the light coming off of the lake. Luna blushed, her "I'm so bad" look completely ruined by her now flaming cheeks.

"Umm… yeah, sure. I'll be right back." she was reluctant to get up and go talk to him, but get up she did. Beth giggled manically as she watched Luna make her way to the handsome boy.

"What are you going on about, love?" Draco looked at her.

"Oh! You boys are just so clueless." she answered him. "do you think she has a chance my little flower child?" she asked Pansy.

"I would say by that grin on his face, she has a great chance. I hear he likes blondes. No that I would try to impose on our Moon Beam's territory."

"What are you two going on about?!" Draco was becoming fed up.

" Luna fancies him! Goddess, Draco, are you really so blind that you cant see that?" Beth said jokingly.

" Oh…" was all that he said, an odd look on his face.

Luna came back to their little group, cheeks still hot, but this time they were a very becoming rose shade.

"So what happened?" Beth said, leaning forward off of Draco's chest.

"He said that he would love you go… if I was going" Luna grinned at her. The three girls let out a little squeal.

" Oh my Freya! That's great! What are you going to wear?" Pansy asked, grabbing Luna's hand and dragging her down to talk.

"I have no idea…. " she answered, eyes wide with that realization.

"Well… he likes girls in blue" Draco said.

The three girls stared at him. "what?! Just because I'm with the three of you all the time, does not mean I don't talk to other guys from time to time!"

" Killer, then blue it will be. But we have to find something to set off those eyes of yours too! I probably have something in my closet. You wear size four, yes? Good. Draco, we're going to go back to the Hole for a bit and find something for our beautiful Moon Beam to wear." Beth grinned.

"I don't understand women… those names by the way, drive me nuts! Call me Drakie one more time and I'll be forced to lock the three of you in a broom closet." Draco pouted.

The girls laughed at him and ran off toward the castle. Draco just shook his head and looked towards the lake. Blaise was still standing by the water. With a nod from Draco, he walked over and sat with him.

"So what was all that about?" Draco asked his friend.

" I haven't the vaguest idea as to what you are talking about, Draco."

"Don't be an ass, Blaise, you know that Pansy and Beth will mutilate your testicles if you are fucking with Luna, right?"

"As fun as having two mildly deranged young women take cutting implements to my reproductive organs sounds, I'm really not planning on hurting Luna."

Draco gave him a skeptical look.

"What?! I know I have a track record with women, but hell, Draco, have you looked at the girl? She is like a goddess. Ethereal really, not of this world. A body like nothing I've ever seen and a sick mind like, damn I wanna see what she would come up with in bed."

"you are more melodramatic than the girls. All I'm saying is that you don't want to screw with the girl's feelings." Draco looked at him hard.

"I don't plan on it. But I don't know what you want me to do. I'm into the girl." Blaise, becoming fed up with the conversation promptly got up and left. Draco shook his head. He hadn't meant to anger his friend, but he knew what Beth would do to him if her friend was hurt by him. He had tried to warn him, if he didn't take the advise, then let him get himself flayed by the daughter of the dark lord.

MEANWHILE

The three girls walked back to the castle, laughing and giggling. They made their way inside and down to the kitchens to grab something quick to munch on while they tore through Beth's wardrobe for something Luna could wear.

Half way down to the kitchens, they ran into four very unhappy people. Neville, Ron, Hermione and Harry were all standing in the hall with their backs to the girls. Beth was the first to notice. She let out a guttural growl. The other two girls stopped their giggling and quieted. They flanked the smaller girl on both sides, looking more like hired guns than the school girls they were.

Beth made a little coughing sound in the back of her throat. The four of them turned around, irritated at having been interrupted. Once they saw the source of said interruption, their faces faltered slightly, as if they were puppets, all on the same strings. The effect, if it had been observed by some outside force would have been quite disconcerting.

"Hi there, Potter!" Beth said with a saccharine sweet voice she nodded her head at the others, "Longbottom, Granger…." she gave a small smirk, mischief lighting her eyes, "Brother."

"I'm not your brother. I never was. My sister is dead and in the ground because of you." Ron answered coldly.

"Whatever, Virginia loved me." Beth's eyes flashed with a near total malice. Her eyes had long since recovered their human look to them.

"What do you want Death Eater?" Harry said, pushing himself to the forefront.

"Oh Harry, don't be so harsh with me. You might just hurt my feelings." She pouted. All she earned was a glare.

Neville spoke up, "Luna."

"Yes, Neville, my dearest little toad?" the blonde answered.

"What are you doing with them? You used to be a good girl. You were one of us once!" he looked almost as if he might cry. It was common knowledge that he had always harbored feelings for her.

"So did I Longbottom. What does that have to do with anything? You still turned on me, and I still am one of your own. A Gryffindor, a lion. Or don't you remember. I certainly do. That sweet little kiss you stole the night of the Yule ball? You didn't have a problem with me then? And if I remember right, I'm sure you didn't want me being a good little girl back then" Beth let a little smile pass over her lips.

"You're disgusting, Delecourte." Hermione spat.

"Oh you're just jealous that you can't get a piece of her, isn't that right my darling Dragon Slayer?" Luna pressed herself up hard against Beth.

"Luna, lovely, what did Draco say about us together in public? Only when he is around. And how do you think poor Pansy feels now? We've left her out entirely. " Beth laughed.

" Look, you don't need to be here. Just go. I'm tired of this cat and mouse game." Harry said, looking at the girls coldly.

With an exasperated sigh, the three girls resumed their positions. Luna and Pansy flanking an irritated looking Beth. "You really know how to ruin a girl's fun did you know that, Harry?"

"It's good to see that your powers of reasoning and logic have returned." he glared.

"You should know better. I wasn't even logical when you thought I was Virginia. I wasn't a threat you know. I would have continued on as the girl I always was if you had just left me alone. Just accepted me for what I was. But you didn't and now you have two enemies. I would never have wanted to hurt you, ever. But you and Weasley and his sad little bumpkin family hurt me. An eye for an eye, Harry." and with that she walked past them, Pansy and Luna shooting daggers at their four foes.

Once in the kitchens, they collected some food. Little sandwiches, some candies and even convinced Muffin to snatch them a few fruity wine coolers that they knew McGonagall had hidden somewhere. "Well, that sure was fun, wasn't it ladies?" Pansy said, screwing the top of her cooler.

"Oh, just oodles. They are up to something, I know it. Not to sound like one of those mystery novel girls. We've got enough to handle without turning into Nancy Drew." Luna answered.

"Beth, are you alright, you look distressed?" Pansy put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm fine. I just think that Luna is right. They know something. Well, so do I. I think that we should spend the night in Hogsmead. I've gotten word that my father may be close to the outside of the village soon, maybe tonight, but certainly by the morning. I have to talk to him. Maybe I can even convince him to stay away until I can figure out what Potter and his irritating little followers are up to." She answered with a huge sigh. Together they headed down the Hole, hoping that helping Luna pick her outfit would restore their high spirits.

"Alright, so blue it is, yes? Lets find all the blue things and you can start trying things on." Pansy smiled as she made her way over to Beth's wardrobe.

" Do you want robes or Muggle clothing?" Beth asked, joining Pansy at the wardrobe.

"Lets go with something muggle. More variety." Luna said.

The three of them spent about an hour and a half picking out the perfect outfit for Luna. What they ended up with was a pair of tight fitting black leather pants with a dark blue peasant blouse. With the help of Pansy and Beth, she got her hair up in an intricate series of twists and braids that flowed down her back. Interwoven in her hair were threads in several shades of blue. Beth had changed into a long black skirt that flowed about her legs and a tank top in a green so dark as to be confused with black in some light. Pansy, not really having anyone to impress, stayed in her black jeans and t-shirt.

The three girls finished off their wine coolers and left the Hole with happy buzzes floating about their heads. They met the boys in the Main Hall and set off towards Hogsmead. Sometime after they got to the village, Luna and Blaise disappeared.

Pansy leaned over to Draco and whispered, "I'll give you three guesses where they got off to." He smirked and laughed a little.

Beth seemed to be preoccupied the whole time. She hadn't shared her plan with Draco, who was confused by her drastic change in emotion. Finally, he pulled her off to the side, "Elizabeth, what's the matter? You've been near silent since we got here."

She sighed deeply, "I've just been thinking about things is all. My father has an encampment about a mile from town. Haven't you noticed all of the Aurors wandering around the town?"

"You're going to try to see him, aren't you?

"Of course!"

"Beth, that may be suicide! You yourself just said, look at all the Aurors. If they caught you, think of what could happen. No to mention if any of the Death Eaters see you. They would sooner kill you than look at you."

"Don't you think I know that, Draco. it's a risk I have to take. All I can think about is what Potter did to me. If I could just get to my Father, maybe it would help me figure out some things. I need to do this, Draco, and you can either support me like Luna and Pansy, or you can get out of my way." she looked at him with fire in her eyes.

" I can't let you do this, Beth. I just cant. It goes against my conscience. Shit, Beth, if you go, I might not ever see you again. I can't live with that!" he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Draco…." she looked up at him and brushed her fingers over his cheek.

He let go of her and turned away. " I can't stop you can I? no… you would never let me. Just go tonight…." he walked away, leaving Beth with angry tears in her eyes.

"Fuck you Draco Malfoy! Fuck you!" she screamed at him.

Later she met up with Pansy and Luna at the Hogs Head. She ordered a bottle of fire whiskey and a shot glass.

"So he got angry? Well, I guess you can't really blame him. He loves you Beth, you know that right?" Pansy said, gesturing to the bar keep to bring another glass.

"So what if he loves me!" Beth growled.

"Elizabeth, don't be so hard headed. He doesn't want you to get hurt is all it is." Luna reprimanded.

"either way, I've rented a room here for the night. You guys can stay here with me if you would like to." she looked at her two friends pleadingly.

"I've actually… umm got plans with Blaise tonight. I'm sorry…" Luna looked down into her lap.

"That's alright. Pansy?" Beth poured herself another shot.

"You know how I feel about this Beth. I'll be one of them in just a year. I would support you no matter what you chose to do, but I can't go with you. You have become like a sister to me and I wouldn't see you hurt for my own life, but I can't be responsible for what is going down tonight." She looked Beth dead in the eyes.

"Fine. That leaves me by myself then tonight." she looked at her friends coldly.

"Don't try to guilt us, Beth, don't even try it. You would have done this even if you were all alone in this world. If you get killed tonight, at least you have someone to mourn you." Pansy stared at her.

"That was cold, Pansy." Beth said quietly.

"Welcome to the life of a Death Eater, little girl. You're strong, Elizabeth, you know it, I know it, hell, the whole fucking school knows it whether they say it or not. But you know damn well and good that this life isn't an easy one. Its not soft warm and loving like what you grew up with, got it? I wont stand to have you fall in the face of this. You need to do this alone and that is all there is to it." and with that she got up, nodding to Luna to do the same.

"Good then. Mourn me when I'm gone, it's all I ask!" Beth ground out, also getting up. She grabbed the bottle and went up to her rented room with an odd thought. She drank way too much for a sixteen year old girl.

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**I hope you all liked it. It took me forever and a day to write. Not that it would really matter because as of this exact moment, I still don't have access to the internet. This will be the…. Fourth chapter I've written in my seclusion from the outside world. How sad am I? Well, I'm starting chapter 11 now and I hope you guys will find it orgasmic… but not really because then you might have to get up and change you underpants which might interrupt your reading! Just kidding. J **


	11. Daddy Dearest

Beth spent the next few hours holed up in the dingy little room above the pub with her bottle of whiskey. She spent most of the time just staring at the amber liquid. She didn't actually drink much of at because she feared meeting her father flat drunk. She waited until full dark and changed into some clothes that she had bought earlier in the day. She wore dark purple robes and a hooded cloak of the same color with black fur on the hood. Steeling herself against what might come, she made her way down stairs, leaving directions with the bartender to destroy anything in her room if she was not back by the next morning and left him a full bag of galleons as an incentive.

She made her way out of the village, staying to the shadows. The location she suspected them to be in was about a mile and a half from the village. It took her about half an hour to get there. It was a little dell with thick trees growing around it. As she neared, she knew that she had been right. Voices rose form the trees like wind through their leaves. There were still some people apparating in, so she suspected that they were still setting up camp. She decided to wait a little while until they got themselves settled in and weren't so jumpy. She settled herself into a little hollow between the roots of one of the great trees surrounding the encampment. Slowly, she began to nod off and after about an hour, she was asleep. Not much longer after that, she was awakened by a rough grip on her upper arm and someone hauling her to her feet.

"What now, who's this? Pretty little thing, aren't you?" A sneering voice said close to her ear. She couldn't see who it was because she was held so closely with her back to his chest, "My master will like to have a look at you, sure he will."

"Who might you is master be, sir, that he allows his followers to manhandle young girls?" Beth answered with an annoyed tone, knowing whom it was the man served.

"You had better shut that pretty little mouth of yours, girlie, if you want to live." The man wrestled her into the dell and into a large tent at the far end. Within the tent, there were many other equally sinister looking men. She saw Lucius Malfoy at the end of the tent, down on his knees as if he had just been addressing the figure before him. This was not the case any longer however; he was now staring at her and the man who was dragging her, as were everyone else in the room.

The figure at whom Lucius had been addressing stood abruptly, "How dare you irrupt us here!" it screeched.

The man immediately fell to his knees, bringing Beth down with him, "But Master, I've brought something for you. I found her just outside or camp, sleeping in the trees."

"Did you now? Come closer." the figure spoke in much gentler tones now. The man left Beth on the ground where she stayed and made his was up to the Dark Lord. "You've brought me this girl as a gift? How sweet of you."

The man looked mightily pleased with himself. That was until the Dark Lord raised his wand and sent him into oblivion. "O' Brien, bring her to me!" Another man stepped forward and pulled her to the head of the tent. The deep hood still covered her face. "Who are you, little girl that you would come here and sleep outside the camp of my Death Eaters?"

"Just a simple girl, My Lord, searching for her father." Beth answered with her head down.

" Which of my men gave you these coordinates? Which man here would be foolish enough to send their own daughter to her death?" He asked kindly enough.

" My father is not one of you men, My Lord. You see, I come in my mother's name, because none but my father and those that knew him in the older days would know the name and who that name would make me."

"Well then girl, what was your mother's name?" Voldemort stated.

"Her name was Delecourte, Rhoan Maria Delecourte." Beth said quietly.

The Dark Lord was very still for a moment before he grabbed her roughly, forcing her to look him in the eyes. She looked at him with the uncertainty of a small child trying something for the first time. She was seeing him for the first time as her father. He looked at her hard for a moment before gasping. He touched her face gingerly, as if she might break into a thousand pieces.

Lucius whispered with a quiet awe, "Gods, she looks just like her…"

"You know it's quite a miracle that you made it into the camp. If anyone else had found you, you would have been killed." He said as a matter of fact.

"I know that. Either way, I had to find you, talk to you, something. There may not be much human in you, just enough to have loved my mother once, but I'm quite human and thus am susceptible to human emotion." she smirked at him.

"All of you, leave! Lucius, you stay."

All of the men in the room scurried to follow their master's orders. When it was just Voldemort, Beth and Lucius, the Dark Lord spoke again, "Have a seat here with me, Elizabeth, Lucius, to my left. Now, why have you come here, other than to see me?"

"I needed to speak with you. Right now, I'm trapped in that school with people who would kill me given half a chance to do so, and people I would kill for less than half a chance. The only up side is having Luna and Pansy to talk to and being able to live with Draco…" she said in a sort of irritated ramble.

"You're living with my son?" Lucius asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah, didn't Nissa tell you when you got out?" Beth looked confused.

"Nissa? ….Oh, my wife! No, I haven't spoken with my wife in quite some time… how is Draco doing? He is well I expect?"

She smirked slightly, "I take good care of him. Though, he seems to have gotten into quite a many fights this year. That would be my fault, sorry about that, but I really think that most of them were Potters fault… well except that one time, that one was my fault, but… ummm…. Yeah, now I feel like an idiot…"

Voldemort laughed, "You sound just like Rhoan. Now, tell me about what has happened this year to make you wish so passionately to join your dear old father."

"Well that is simple, the Weasleys disowned me and blew up all my stuff, the Gryffindors refuse to claim me as one of their own… but that one doesn't really bother me much, the Slytherins treat me like a queen anyway. Oh and that evil cock sucking bastard Potter raped me… yeah, I think that's all…" She answered nonchalantly.

"Potter… Potter did what?" Voldemort said in a stunned way.

Lucius stared between Beth and his Master in disbelief. He had never seen the Dark Lord stunned.

Beth sighed, "He raped me. The whole school knows it but refuses to do anything about it because it's the Hogwarts golden boy being accused by your daughter. I think that they may know that you are here. That was another reason I came, to warn you. You know what a little weasel Potter is, he can get into the tiniest little spaces and still make his way out. I did not want you to be caught here unaware. I am sure that you could take him, but…. I don't know…"

"It's good that you would risk yourself to come to me here. It shows loyalty. I may not go out of my way to protect my men, but they will give their lives for me. You are my blood and that gives you a special place among my ranks. You said that you live with Lucius's son, yes. Is there any sort of relationship that I should know about? I'm sure Lucius would like to know also." Voldemort stated.

"Of course. He is my best friend, and my lover. Without him, there would be little chance that I would have made it through these past few months." she smiled to herself.

"Do you expect something from me? It is true that I am your father and you the logical Heir to my legacy, but what other do you expect of me?"

"Only a month alone with Potter to do with him as I might choose before you kill him." Her eyes flashed dangerously, the aura that had surrounded her those weeks before made a quick appearance, leaving the smell of sandalwood in the air, with a mild trace of burnt hair.

"Interesting." Voldemort smiled and took his daughter into his arms, "I believe that you will not let me down when the time comes. My little princess. Do you remember the first time your mother took you to see me?"

"I do. She was frightened, but you gave me something… a little glass something. It was a serpent, was it not, or a dragon?"

"It was a dragon. A little glass dragon. Your mother took it from you and you began to cry. She was always afraid of what I was…"

"You might be surprised how many times dragons have touched my life, Father. First in the little glass bauble you gave me, then in my wand and the scar it left on me," she pulled up her sleeve to show him the glittering dragon emblazoned on her arm, "And then in your son, Lucius. There is power there for me."

"You prove to be more interesting as the minutes pass, Elizabeth. You truly do." her father responded.

"They call me Beth, not Elizabeth. No disrespect meant, father." she smirked at him, but tried to hide it.

"Of course. Now come here, let me have a look at you. Lucius, take her cloak, it is quite warm enough in here for her to have no need for it."

Beth nodded and unclasped her cloak. She handed it to Lucius, who was still staring at her in awe. "You are so right Lucius, she does look just like her mother doesn't she? Is there anything that you got from me?"

"Of course, father" she smirked and leaned in very close. With a wink, her eyes flashed red and snake-like. "Shhh"

The Dark Lord laughed, "I thought you said that you were human, Beth. That was most certainly not human."

"I didn't say that I was human, what I said was that I was quite human. More so than whatever it is that you are." Beth laughed back.

There was a huge commotion outside of their little tent. The three of them had nearly forgotten that they were not alone in the forest. Lucius jumped to his feet and ran to see what was going on.

"You were followed?!" Voldemort boomed.

"I'm hurt, father. I'm not stupid. No one followed me. If there is any problem in this camp it is because of your men, not my own incompetence." She said coldly.

The Dark Lord simply stared at her. Lucius came back into the tent with an amused look on his face. "It seems that there was a strange animal trying to get into the tent. When one of the men tried to stop it, it nearly tore his face off. Really, quite a cute little beast, if you ask me." He held up a severely irritated Louis who immediately launched himself from his arms and at Beth. Louis nestled himself in her arms and gave Lucius a look that could have killed.

"What the hell is that thing?" Voldemort asked looking carefully at the little beast.

"This is Louis! He must have been worried about me and sniffed me out because I left him back at the castle this afternoon. Hi sweet heart, did those mean men scare you? Oh baby, it's alright, mommy's here." she soothed him with soft words.

"Louis… what exactly is he, dear?" her father asked.

"Well… to tell you the truth, I don't rightly know. Uncle Sevy gave him to me. There aren't any others like him…" she grinned and stroked away Louis's irritation.

"Uncle Sevy? Who might I ask is that? Rhoan didn't have any siblings and I…. well, I explain myself, yes?" Voldemort responded.

"Oh! Uncle Sevy is Severus Snape. He had been looking after me since the Weasleys threw me out. I was staying at the castle over the summer… and I suppose next summer too if the war doesn't escalate to the point where I'll be fighting with you."

"Ah, yes, I should have known, he and your mother were quite close in school if I remember correctly and he did mention that he was trying to help you, but the last time he could report to me was at the beginning of what should have been the summer holiday."

"I love him to death, silly old man that he is. He really wanted to kill Potter that first night. But silly old potions master wasn't listened to by head master or anyone else. Now don't be angry with him because I wont ever forgive you if you hurt him, daddy. I wont!" she pouted and Louis gave Voldemort a scathing look.

He just laughed, "I wont hurt him dear. Its odd to be called "daddy" and maybe ill fall into the role nicely. Even if I am the Dark Lord and waging a war…."

"I think that you will be a fine father, because you're daughter is waging a war within the school walls against you enemy! Like father like daughter, yes?" she hugged him, much to Louis's displeasure as he was pushed form her lap " but I've got to go now daddy, I gave the inn keeper instructions to destroy my things if I wasn't back before morning and I've still got to get back to the school."

"Of course, Lucius, why don't you apparate with her. Where were you staying dear, not the Three Broomsticks I hope?"

"No, the Hog's Head, room 3 actually."

"That's perfect, I've actually stayed in that room many times. Shall we go now?" Lucius said.

Beth nodded and took hold of his hands after she gave her father a quick kiss on the cheek and picked up Louis. There was a loud pop and suddenly, Beth was back in her room at the inn. Lucius gave her a quick smile and popped out of the room again. She gathered her things and made her way out of the small dirty room with Louis following close behind.

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**Fixed this little part here, grannyHPfan, i say thankee sai! this is chapter 11, not 10! hehehee, yea, my brian was mush when i finished this chapter but now it isnt, so if you happen to spot anymore little typos and mistakes, please tell me! it would be much appreciated!**


	12. The Fight

**OMG I'm sooo sorry you guys. I know its been forever since I've last updated but there has been a lot going on in my life from being kicked out of my house to moving back in to craziness at work plus a minor emotional break that wasn't really serious but serious enough to have me under close watch for some time! Either Way I'm reallllllyyyyyy sorry about this taking so long. I Hope you Enjoy chapter…. Twelve? I think!!!**

She made her way to the Shrieking Shack and took that way into the school. To her surprise, she found Draco sitting out by the lake, idly throwing stones in the water. He had an odd look on his face. She had seen that look before, he was brooding over something. She put Louis down on the ground and he ran to Draco. Draco looked up as Louis curled up in his lap and saw Beth standing by the water about 10 ft. from him. At first he just stared at her but after a moment, he got up and went to her. He stood an arm length away and continued to stare at her.

"I saw him…." she stated simply.

He continued to stare.

"And your father…."

He stared.

"He send his regards…."

He just stared.

Her eyes began to tear up, "Draco, I'm sorry!" she fell forward and clasped at his shirt, her head resting on his chest.

Finally, he moved. She felt his body soften to her and his arms moved around her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head and continued to hold her. "Beth, don't be sorry. I am. You needed to do this… I just couldn't stand the thought of losing you…"

"Draco…." she whispered, sobering, her tears already drying. She looked up at him. "Lets go home, 'kay?"

He nodded and pulled her into a fiery kiss then steered her back up o the castle. Once back in the Hole, they found that Pansy Luna and surprisingly, Blaise were in their common room waiting for them.

"Oh Beth, thank the goddess you're okay! After Luna and I left this afternoon, we were so worried. We were afraid that you had been killed when you were away for so long!" Pansy said, rushing to her friend and pulling her into a tight hug.

"I'm fine Pansy, really I am, but I need air to stay fine…." she said, strangled.

"Sorry. I'm just so glad that you didn't go! I really thought that you would and that I would never see you again."

"She did go…" Luna said ominously from the circle of Blaise's arms.

"What? She couldn't have, she would be dead!"

"I went, Pansy. I went and I spoke with him. I believe that he will be moving his encampment. I told him I thought that Potter and his little stooges knew where he was. He knows who I am and he accepts me as his daughter…" Beth said, looking strangely at Luna.

"You saw him?" Blaise said in awe.

"That is what I said isn't it?" she almost snapped back.

" Beth…" Draco said quietly, placing a quick kiss on the nape of her neck. She calmed instantly, giving Blaise an apologetic look. He nodded back at her.

"Well now, I think that its about time for us to get going. I can see that the two of you are tired. Luna, I believe you said something about wanting to… study a little?" Blaise gave Draco a look that said that there was not going to be any studying.

"Of course." a smirk graced Luna's lips as she stood, aided by Blaise.

"I believe that I will also take my leave of you. Beth, if you need anything at all, you know where I'll be." Pansy said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"We'll be leaving too. I think it's best if you two had some time to talk." Luna said again, in a rather ominous fashion. Every one looked at her. She knew something that she wasn't telling anyone, but she just smiled and pulled Blaise out of the room, whispering something in his ear that made him smile. Pansy followed close after them.

"That was… strange to say the least. I really didn't expect them to be here when I got back. But that doesn't matter much right now, Luna is right, we do need to talk." Draco said, sitting heavily on the couch.

"Yeah… I know. It really was something I had to do though Draco, it was!" she said so emphatically , that her whole form shook slightly.

"I know, I know. That isn't what we need to talk about though. Listen to me, here, come and sit with me." he held out his arms and she went to him. "I didn't know what I was feeling this afternoon. I was more frightened than I have ever been in my whole life. I thought that I would lose you and I nearly lost it. I was angry with you that you would put me through that. Hell at one point I was willing to bring you back forcefully if need be, but I knew that I couldn't. I don't know if I can deal with all that, Beth I really just don't know anymore."

"Are you trying to break up with me? Because I don't understand if you are, I just cant. " she was shaking now, her whole body seemed to be vibrating.

"Beth… no, that isn't it… but-"

She cut him off, "There are no buts Draco Malfoy, either you are or you aren't. There isn't a between ground with this. Do you want to be with me? You have said time and again, that you love me. Now do you or don't you?"

"I do, I really do, but that is the problem, I don't…. I just never felt this way before! If you were gone I wouldn't be able to go on, I just wouldn't. I don't know if I can deal with something that strong!" he pulled away from her and paced the large common room. When he finally turned to look at her again, she had pulled her legs up to her chest and had her eyes closed. She looked so… alone solitary, like she could be that way forever and it tugged at his heart. He could never be like that.

"But you are like that Draco…." she whispered.

"no I'm not--… wait, what?"

"you and I are so much alike, you and I could have been solitary forever. But now we have each other and we cant do it alone. that's how we both see things now…. Or at least that's how I feel. And don't look at me like that, Draco. I'm not crazy!" she said quietly.

"No… but, how did you know that's what I was thinking?" he looked at her oddly.

"What do you mean?"

" I mean, how did you know that I was thinking about being alone? I didn't say anything, it was barely even a thought, just a passing realization and you picked up on it right away." he stood very still, looking at her as if for the very first time.

She turned away form him, her knees still pulled to her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm going to bed now, its late…" she got up and made her way to her room. It was a room that they had shared for the past few weeks and she knew that tonight, her bed would be cold.

"No, Elizabeth! Come back here, we need to talk." he moved to grab her but the dark flair in her aura stopped him.

"We talked Draco, I know how you feel. Maybe we'll speak again in the morning. Right now, I need to go to sleep." with that she turned away form him for the last time and shut her door behind her. There were tears running down her face. She whimpered softly as she realized that Louis had been left in the common room and she would have no one to comfort her. She wouldn't sleep, she knew that.

Outside her door she could hear Draco moving around. Pacing probably, cursing himself, cursing her, more likely. It hurt her heart to be fighting with him. She tossed herself on her bed and laid there like a doll tossed aside by some uncaring child. She felt a little like a cast off doll. She was confused and hurt and angry with herself. She wanted to go back and change what had happened over the past night. She sat on her bed most of the night, staring at the ceiling and brooding.

In the morning things would be clear again. She just had to wait for the morning. She hoped.

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**Well, that was chapter 12. I hope you guys liked it. I know it was short but I've got crazy writers block like you just wouldn't believe. It took me forever to get this thing written and it was like scraping sandpaper over my creativity every second of the way. I'll Try to get then next chapter up quicker and make it longer. As always reviews are welcome tell me what you think and feel free to give any input as to how you would like the story to go from here.**


	13. The Repercussions

-1**Okay. I know it has been a while. Please forgive me!!! I promise I'll try to update more often in the next couple of weeks. I feel soooo bad about not updating. I don't want you guys hating me because I'm one of those horrible authors who never updates and acts like their readers don't really matter. I swear I'm not like that!! I love you guys!!!! You're the bestest people in the whole world!!!**

It was early. How early Beth didn't really know. She had stopped looking at the clock hours ago. She figured it had to be about six-ish. She could hear the shower going and supposed it was Draco getting ready for the coming day. She had an odd sensation in her chest. Something that was tight and hot, like the burning at the back of your throat when you're about to cry. She didn't know what was going to happen to them now. She had ruined everything and she didn't know how to fix it. She had a sneaking suspicion that she might have a visit from Luna today though.

Draco hadn't slept very much at all the night before. He was too busy thinking to sleep. Sleep is for the weak he reasoned to himself and weak was something he was not. He wasn't really sure what had happened last night. Things were going so well and in less than fifteen minutes, it had all begun to crash down around his head. One image kept returning to his thoughts all nigh as he lay staring blankly at the ceiling listening to the occasional meow from Louis. He kept seeing Beth as she was, curled up on the couch, looking like the last human on earth. He didn't want to see her turn into that and now if she didn't it would be his fault. He couldn't stand to think about that but that was what kept popping into his head. Like most thoughts that you didn't want to think about, it wouldn't leave him alone.

He decided early just to give up trying to sleep and see if he couldn't distract himself from the girl, he knew to be sitting in the room across the dorm from him. He first tried reading in the library, but unfortunately, that was Beth's favorite place. Then he tried the gym, pushing himself to his physical limits and beyond. That only made him think that he would kike to have Beth there encouraging him like she usually was. After deciding that nothing he was doing was going to distract him, he decided to take a shower, go to the kitchens, and have an early breakfast.

He knocked on Beth's door and waited for an answer. When none came, he spoke through the door, "Elizabeth, I don't know if you're still sleeping, but I'm going to get something to eat. Why don't you come with me? Or I'll bring you back something. Come on Beth, please, I know you're awake. Just say something, please?"

The only response that came from the room was silence. With a sigh, Draco left the room, meeting none other and Luna Lovegood in the hall. She smiled at him, "Did you and Beth have a nice talk last night?" she said with a smile. He looked at her blankly and left. She nodded knowingly and shouted, "I'll see you later Draco!"

He had the mild urge to turn around and hex the smile off her face but resisted. She was Beth's friend and he didn't want her any angrier with him than she already was. He regretted his actions from the night before. He didn't know what made him say those things. He had made it seem like he couldn't deal with loving someone who was so much stronger than he was. That wasn't true! Or was it? He didn't know anymore. He couldn't even sit her down and finish talking about it last night because of his fear of her strength. Another sigh escaped him. He was already out on the grounds before he realized that he wouldn't be able to eat anyway. It was still very early. And already the day looks as he felt. With dark clouds obscuring the sun at this early hour, it still looked as dark as night. The rain fell around him softly, almost apologetically, but the heaviness in the air told a different story. By noon today, the school would be inundated by the flooding rains that promised to fall.

He sat out by the lake and for the first time since he was a child, he cried. He knew that it was a useless thing, crying, but it didn't seem like there was anything else he could do. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right! He was so stupid. If he had just kept his mouth shut and been happy that she had come back alive then everything would still be good between them. He would probably still be asleep in her arms, in her bed, happy. Maybe if he let her calm down for a while, he could talk to her. But it unnerved him a little that she could tap into his thoughts the way she had last night. He hadn't even felt it. His father had taught him how to block such attacks, and on one or two occasions he had even been granted private lessons form the Dark Lord himself. He hadn't done well in those lessons, but that was to be expected. But even then, he had felt the attack. He didn't know what to think anymore. Had she been able to do that all along? Had she been listening into his most private thoughts this whole time? He wanted to scream along with crying. He felt weak sitting out on the lawn all alone, crying his eyes out over a girl. He sighed again for the third time that morning. He was tired.

When Draco had knocked on her door, she wanted desperately to answer him but couldn't bring herself to do it. She was angry and depressed, not a good combination. In the two hours that he had been gone, she had lost control. She refused to let Luna into her room and screamed as she threw things around her room. She knew that Luna was still out in the common room but she couldn't deal with her right now. She still wanted to break things. Her room looked like there had been a battle fought. All of her clothes were scattered about the room in varying states of ruin. Some of them were torn, others singed in places and still others were nothing more than piles of thread. Even worse was her furniture, splintered and smoldering around her room. She would fix it later. She breathed in deeply and let out a savage scream that ripped at her throat. She felt a little better. With a sigh, she resigned herself to the fact that she could continue to ignore Luna and spend the rest of her life in her room or force herself to go out into the common room and face Luna like a big girl. Too bad, she felt like a three year old. She growled and forced herself to her door.

She stood with her hand on the doorknob for a good five minutes trying to force herself to actually turn it. Finally, she heard a voice ring out, "Are you going to stand there like an idiot all day or are you actually going to come out and talk to me?" it was Luna. Damn. She turned the knob and stepped out. She looked fierce and she knew it but Luna just smiled at her. "Nice to see you looking so well this morning, my dearest. "

Beth glared at her and dropped herself down on the couch opposite of Luna's chair. "You have something to say about what happened last night?"

"Of course I do! I take it that you two had words with each other, yes? Just remember that Draco is afraid. It isn't his fault. And you are the one who scared him. You have to be much more careful with that creepy mind thing that you do." she shivered slightly, "Hell, that shit even throws me off balance sometimes, you have to let him think through some things."

"So… you are saying that this is my fault?" Beth stared at her friend and thought about it. She had left to see her father and Draco hadn't wanted her to go. He was afraid that she would die. That was strike one. When she had gotten home, they had fought and she had accidentally used occulmency on him. That had also frightened him. Strike two. She had been angry and hurt over his fright and not bothered to consider that it was justified. That made strike two; you're out! With a sigh, she nodded. "As much as I truly hate to admit this, Luna, You are right. But I'm still pissed. Not at him… not at anything really, just really pissed off. I want to break things and shout… but that's not going to help is it?"

Luna smiled brightly at her and shook her head, "not one teeny itty bitty little bit. Why don't we attempt to locate your little dragon, shall we? You can actually talk about things this time, hmm. Do you think you can manage that miss doom and gloom?"

"Luna, my lovely, you infuriate me!" Beth said in a saccharine sweet voice, shooting daggers in her friend's direction. "Damn… I think you are right. Why is it that you are always right?"

"I'm just good like that." Luna answered with a grin. "But I would suggest that you bring your cloak." her eyes flashed slightly. Once again, she knew something that Beth did not.

With a wary nod to her strange friend, she went to her bedroom and put on a set of dark blue robes that hadn't been incinerated or torn to shreds along with a matching cloak. Still slightly suspicious of the Ravenclaw girl, she followed her throughout the castle and to the entrance hall and then out onto the freezing wet grounds of the school.

"Luna, can you tell me exactly why Draco would be out here. Its pouring and its cold and no other sane human being would come out here under their own free will!" Beth said, highly irritated.

"There are a few who would. Not many but a few…" she trailed off.

"Luna Selene Lovegood, if you give me that cryptic shit one more time I swear to the Goddess I will… Oh gods, Draco!!!" she screamed.

Luna walked slowly behind her towards the tree that Draco had found himself thinking under just hours ago. There was blood smeared across his face and his once crisp white school shirt. His lips had long since taken on a tinge of blue. Beth was on her knees next to him, stroking his hair out of his face and trying to wipe the blood from his pale skin. There were tears coursing down her face.

"Draco? Draco please, wake up, please." her fingers hovered over his face, for the first time realizing that there was an intense heat radiating off him. She let out a strangled cry. He should be half frozen out here in the cold and rain. He had a fever, and from what she could tell, it was high. Maybe too high. Maybe she couldn't save him. Maybe he was dying. And gods, why was he covered in cuts and bruises? What happened? There was too much going on. She could feel panic beginning to take over.

"The hospital. Elizabeth, we have to take him to the hospital. I didn't think he had gotten this bad. Come now, girl, get yourself up now or he will die out here in your arms, is that what you want. Move it!" Luna said form behind them.

Beth sniffled and waved her wand, levitating him about three feet off the ground. She ran with him just slightly ahead of her up to the castle and to the infirmary. She was nearly screeching for Madam Pomfrey when she finally made her appearance. "Draco! He was on the grounds. He should be cold but he isn't. Fix it! You fix him now!! _**Fix him!**_" now she was in a panic she could feel it creeping into her brain and freezing it. She was being irrational and taking it out on the kind but stern school nurse. She couldn't help herself, she screamed over and over again "Fix him!" but it seemed like everything was moving too slowly. The nurse was only just barely shuffling towards them. Draco wasn't moving and despite his raging fever, his lips were still blue. He looked dead. Oh gods, he looked dead! Was he dead, please don't die please!

Finally, Madam Pomfrey took him and got him into a bed. She was healing his cuts. How had he gotten so many? She was giving him something for the fever and tucking him in. She was giving the girls something so they didn't get sick form the cold, was drying their freezing, dripping clothes. She was rushing her and Luna out of the infirmary. They were back in the Hole now. How had they gotten there? Wet… she could feel wetness on her face. Why? Crying she was in hysterical tears. What had happened? Why was Draco now in the infirmary? They could be in bed together, safe, warm, happy. Oh Gods, it was her fault. She had chased him off. He must have gone out onto the grounds and someone attacked him! Damn it, who had attacked Draco? Who would dare to even touch him!? Anger, she was pissed. Elizabeth was ready to kill. She knew who it was. But she would wait. Nothing that was secret stayed that way for very long in Hogwarts. She would make sure and then she would make her move. No one hurt someone she loved. No one!

**Okay kiddies. That was it chapter…. thirteen? Maybe? Well either way, I apologize for it being so short and taking so long to get up. I'm going to try to get the next chapter up soon. I really really will.**


	14. Their Dreams

**Okay guys, I'm having a lot of trouble getting through this story. I mean I like writing it, but I'm having major writers block problems. I hope you don't hate me too much.**

**--**

"You know who it was don't you?" Luna stated after sitting with Beth for quite some hours.

"Of course I do. Who else would have had the balls to hurt him." She snapped back from her place on Luna's lap.

"I would suggest not doing anything rash as of yet. They will get what is coming to them in time." Luna answered back, stroking Beth's hair to calm her.

"You don't want me to do anything about this? They beat him nearly to death Luna, and then left him out in the rain to freeze! How can I do nothing about it."

"They expect you to come back at them. They want to get you in trouble with Dumbledore. Don't do anything as of yet. Their time will come. Don't worry about that. They will have to face the consequences of their actions soon enough." she answered in a slightly dreamy voice.

"I will give it untill the end of the month before I do anything. For you I will give them that long." Beth said, sitting up for the first time in hours. When they had returned to the hole, Beth had been in tears and allowed Luna to comfort her.

"That is fine. In another month, you will have bigger things on your mind." Luna answered cryptically. She had been doing that quite often lately.

"What does that mean?" Beth looked at her sharply.

"In a month you will know." she answered.

With a sigh, Beth knew it was no good to push her for any more answers. Luna just knew things. She supposed that she must be a seer of sorts. Beth trusted her to tell her if things were going to be bad.

In the Gryffindor common room, there was a celebration going on. The rest of the house had heard of what happened to Draco and decided to throw a party. It went on late into the night until, drunk and exhausted, the Trio passed out on the couches chairs or floor of the common room. Had anyone been awake to see, they would have noticed the profoundly troubled look on Harry's face as he slept.

**Dream **

Harry awoke to find himself at the edge of a large clearing. He had a bow and quiver strapped to his back and he was stalking a beautiful doe. Suddenly he heard singing from the forest around him and worried that the doe would also hear it and run away.

_Here's the sad story, about a deer, and a man!  
_

He heard the voice sing as he entered the clearing with his bow raised an arrow readied on the string. Suddenly it looked up and he stared into the deep amber eyes of the deer. For a moment he was struck by its beauty, its innocence.

_  
A romantic scene, from a lullaby,  
In the clearing green, where his eyes met mine.  
I was froze in motion, oh his bow was raised,  
Then the fleeting notion, that my life he'd save.  
_

The voice continued to sing in a slow almost hypnotizing way. He loosed the arrow and watched as it sunk into the soft chestnut hide. Those eyes that he was so caught up in just a moment before widened in shock and pain.

_  
Oh But I saw it coming, flying through the air,  
Feathered backside humming. Miss' me, hit me where?  
Where it will only hurt me, not a mortal wound.  
Leave me lying dirty, someone would find me soon._

I have never, felt like this before.  
Felt my body sinking, to the grassy floor.  
No I have never, known a love like this,  
Felt the flaming arrows, of the hunter's kiss.

My life is not mine, like a dog or a wife.

He has taken his time, he has taken my life.

He moved closer to the wounded animal, his breath puffing out in the cold forest air. He began to ready his kill to take back and butcher.

_  
I could see the steaming, of his cloudy breath,  
No, I was not dreaming, I was next to death.  
As I lay there twitching, then my legs he tied.  
_

As he tied her legs he noticed the color of the deer's hide began to change. It became darker and redder as if the blood from her wound was staining all of the animal rather than around the spot where the arrow still jutted out.

_There was nothing missing, on the day I died._

I have never, been like this before.  
Felt my body sinking, to the grassy floor.  
No I have never, known a love like this.  
Love the flaming arrows, of the hunter's kiss.

No I have never felt like this before.  
Never felt my body sinking to the earth's grassy floor.  
Now I know I have never known a love like this.  
Never felt the flaming arrows of the lonely hunter's kiss.

As the singing died away the animal began to change more and more until it became a young woman. A woman he knew very well or so he thought. It became the body of Ginny Weasley. She looked up at him with the same amber eyes of the deer and he was instantly aware of why he was so caught up in them before. She raised a hand to his face and looked at him with pained and questioning eyes before turning her attention to the arrow imbedded in her breast.

"I thought you loved me Harry?" she questioned him. "How could you have hurt me like this?"

"But I didn't know! Ginny I didn't know it was you!" he cried, thinking that she was alive again and the Ginny that he had known since meeting the Weasleys.

"But you hurt me anyway! You hurt Beth and you killed me! How could you do that Harry, you were supposed to save us all." she whispered.

"I didn't do anything to that whore that she didn't deserve!" he snarled back at the dying girl in his arms.

"But Harry, she was the same girl you had always known. What changed about her? Her name? She was still the same sweet little girl that you have always known. I was with her when you did that to her, I saw everything that you did. The moment that you took her you killed me…" her words faded as the life left her eyes and once again she became the deer.

Suddenly she stood next to him. It was obvious that she was not of this world. Her entire appearance was translucent. "I said that I would always look out for her Harry. I was her innocence, fighting the blackness that came from her father. I was supposed to keep her safe from him. You ripped me from her. You took away our worlds only salvation when you turned her into His heir. And you were supposed to save us all…." and with that she began to walk into the forest.

**End Dream**

Harry woke with a start, a thin sheen of sweat covering him from top to bottom. It was shortly before daybreak and as he picked himself up and brought himself to a window to calm himself. He spotted a small red headed girl standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She looked stricken and sad. He blinked slightly in terror and confusion and when he looked again she was gone. It was only a dream he told himself. Only a dream.

As soon as word had spread that Draco had been beaten, Pansy and Blaise joined Beth and Luna in the wait to be allowed back into the infirmary. Louis had taken up his customary position on Beth's shoulders and was heard to mewl piteously every so often. Luna laid on a couch with Blaise, her head in his lap, her golden hair spilling over his legs and brushing the floor. Beth sat on another couch with Pansy, leaning against her as if to borrow some of the other girl's strength. It wasn't long before the four of them, five counting Louis, fell fitfully asleep.

**Beth's Dream.**

She found herself in what looked to be a hospital room in a pediatrics ward. She was sitting on a tiny bed with white sheets and industrial looking blankets. The walls were covered in all manner of cartoon looking creatures. Bears, cats, unicorns and so on. As she looked around she spotted a young girl sitting alone in a corner. She appeared to be crying. Instantly Beth found herself walking over to the girl, to try to offer her what comfort she could. When she reached her she was surprised to look into the face of the girl she once was.

"Gin Gin? Is that you?" Beth asked.

All she got in response was a sad nod.

"Why are you crying Gin Gin? What's the matter?"

"I have failed you so terribly! Oh Lizzie, I am so sorry! I should have warned you it was coming and now you are so far gone…" she trailed off in a sob.

"But Gin, you saved me! You gave me the life you should have had. What else could you have done?" Beth answered, uncomprehending.

"That isn't it, Lizzie. You were right when you said that something died in you the night Harry raped you. I died that night. For good this time. I lived through you even though you could no longer see me, remember me. I was supposed to protect you from your true father and I have failed miserably." She cried all the harder.

"Oh Gin… it wasn't your fault! It couldn't be your fault. I chose this and I have to live with it. Harry hurt me and it changed more than the fact that you were with me. I would have had to have changed. Gin, don't you see? If I hadn't then what would there be for me? A life of being ostracized for being someone I couldn't help being? There is no changing what has happened only moving forward in anyway you can. Gin, with out you who knows what I would be. Yes, I went to my father and yes I do plan on helping him, but I still have feelings, emotions and empathy for the human condition. If I had been raised by the Dark Lord or his followers, what would I be. What could I be. I would only know what they wanted me to know. I don't want the extermination of all humans, muggles or not! And I can say that because of the life you let me have. Ginny don't be sad. You saved me. You saved this world from so much. I plan on taking on the family business when my father passes but how much better will it be that I am the one to take up his mantle and not one of his Death Eaters." Beth said, taking the crying girl in her arms and rocking her back and forth the way a mother would.

"I don't know what to do… I don't know where to go! I've been with you for so long! What if you need me!" she whimpered.

"I will be fine. You need to go onto Summerland. Let the Crone take you and you can rest for all the work that you have done in life and death. Let yourself be reborn and let yourself know what life is again." Beth answered.

The room began to fade then. The two stood up as the room became darker and darker. Suddenly there was anther person with them. An old woman. She had beautiful kindly eyes and was dressed in black. She held out a wrinkled hand to Ginny. Ginny turned and embraced Beth. "I love you Lizzie. Live your life and be happy."

"I love you too Gin Gin. Rest and be happy. Live again." she answered back tears streaming down her face.

Ginny turned and took the hand of the old woman, the Crone, the Goddess. She offered one more tearful smile as she and the old woman passed into the darkness.

End Dream.

Beth awoke with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. Her old friend and savior would finally know peace if what she just had was more than a simple dream. Suddenly she knew that it would be alright if she went to go see Draco. She also knew without a doubt that he would recover from his ordeal. With that in mind she set about rousing the other occupants of the room. Once all were fully awake they made their way to the infirmary.

**Mostly this was filler, though I hate to say that. Like I said earlier, I have been having a horrible problem with writers block. By the way, the song I used in this chapter is actually by Rasputina and is called "Hunter's Kiss" check them out they are really good! I will also be going over the whole story because there is an unacceptable about of really stupid errors. I will hopefully get the next chapter out after i have done that. **


	15. The Surprise!

It was three days before Draco was out of the infirmary and back in the Hole. He was still a little weak, though recovering nicely. Beth coddled him the whole time, never leaving him alone for a moment. Though Draco did find the behavior stifling, it did give them time to talk through what had caused him to be out on the grounds in the first place. It was decided between the two of them that they had both been to blame. They were both under an enormous amount of emotional stress and had taken it out on each other. That is not to say that their bickering stopped. In fact, they were more often seen to fight in the halls between class over her babying him and then later into what appeared to be Beth's slightly declining health.

A little over two weeks since Draco had been released from the infirmary and Beth was beginning to think that she might want to make a trip there herself. She was having a hard time going through the day without becoming nauseous or making a trip to the ladies room to vomit. She thought that maybe she had caught a bug when she and Luna had found Draco out on the grounds. It wasn't impossible, she argued, it was raining that day and unbearably cold. And with all the stress, my immune system must not be up to par right now. Luna frequently accompanied her to the bathroom to hold back her hair or whisper comforting words in her ear. The rest of the school's girls learned quickly that if Blaise, who had officially asked Luna out, was standing outside of the girls bathroom, they were not to go in there.

After one more week of it, she decided that she really needed to talk to Draco about it. She couldn't stand another fight about it as she returned from anther bout with her increasing nausea.

"Do you think that I should go see Madam Pomphrey? I mean it hasn't gotten better… but then again, it hasn't gotten any worse." Beth said to him one night as they were sitting on her bed, playing wizards chess.

"I told you days ago to go get checked out. It could be serious. I mean, you throw up all the time but you aren't losing any weight… not that I can tell anyway, if anything you've gotten a little bit bigger…" he said warily.

"Are you calling me fat Draco Malfoy?" she eyed him dangerously.

"No! All I'm saying is that you might have some sort of parasite or tumor or something. Potter could have done something to you that you didn't even realize happened. I just think that it isn't healthy and you need to find out what is going on." he replied, hoping not to get hexed for the fifth time that day.

With a sigh Beth changed the subject to happier things, not wanting to fight anymore. She was so tired of it and didn't want to stress her relationship with Draco anymore. She couldn't bear to lose him, she had realized that while he was lying in the hospital bed.

As it happened, the next morning, Beth was woken at an ungodly hour with the same nausea that they had been discussing the night before. Careful not to wake Draco, she climbed out of bed and made a beeline for the toilet. After emptying the contents of her stomach, she resolved to go see Madam Pomphrey that morning.

She returned to her room to find Draco still sleeping and, once again, trying to be quiet, she dressed herself and made her way into the main part of the castle. Once she reached the door to the infirmary, she nearly screamed as she felt something brushing against her legs. When she looked down, she realized that Louis must have followed her up there. She bent to pick him up and felt another wave of nausea pass over her, without stopping to put Louis down she ran for the infirmary toilet and once again vomited. The sound seemed to have woken Madam Pomphrey as when she stopped, the older woman was there with a damp cloth and a potion in her hand.

Beth looked up at the woman as if she were an angel and proceeded to wipe her mouth. "Thank you so much. I'm sorry to wake you at such an early hour, but I just couldn't stand this anymore. Its been going on for nearly three weeks!"

Madam Pomphrey nodded and held out the potion, "Here, try some of this for now. It ought to calm your stomach."

Beth shook her head, "I've already tried all kinds of anti-nausea potions and they don't seem to work all that well."

"Well then, lets have a look at you, see what's going on in that poor tummy of yours." she answered, giving Beth a strange look. She led her over to a curtained bed and instructed her to lie down. After a few moments of poking and prodding and questions as to if this or that hurt, Pomphrey stood back and shook her head sadly. She left for just a moment and brought another potion back with her.

Perplexed as to why she was being given another potion, Beth said, "I'm sorry but the nausea potions don't work with this…"

"This isn't for your nausea, this will tell me what is wrong with you. Now please drink it all down in one gulp if you can." she handed the younger girl the vial.

Beth did as she was told and drank the potion like one might drink a shot of liquor. She felt strange for a moment and as she sat there she was amazed when her lower abdomen began to glow blue. She looked up at the nurse with questioning eyes only to find sadness there. She dug her hands into Louis' fur for comfort.

"Ms. Delecourte…. Beth… do you know what that means?" Beth shook her head so Pomphrey continued on, " Can I ask you something personal?"

"Of course…" Beth was becoming more and more frightened by the second. What was wrong with her that would make the school nurse look like that, speak like that.

"You and Mr. Malfoy are…. Together, are you not?"

"Yes… we are, but what does that have to do with…" Beth trailed off, understanding surfacing in her eyes, "But we are always careful, we have only… you know… one or two times. Its hard for me… with… you know…" she looked down ashamed. The animal on her lap looked up at Pomphrey with venom for making his mistress remember such things. The nurse knew what had happened to her on the night of the Welcoming Feast.

"The both of you take the proper potions to prevent this sort of thing?"

"Yes, of course! We love each other and maybe we might want a family later, but not now! I'm far too young for a child now! I don't understand how something like this could happen! Draco and I are always so careful! We both take the potions and he even wears one of those muggle contraptions, what are they called? Condos?"

"Condoms…"

"Yes of course that's it. Condoms. I just don't see how I could be pregnant. Unless… oh Gods. Madam Pomphrey… do you think it happened when… when Potter… what I mean to say is…. Could it be Harry Potter's child?" Beth looked as if she might become sick once again.

"Son actually. You will be having a little boy… I am sorry Ms. Delecourte, but I see no other way to explain it if what you tell me is correct. If you like… I can get rid of it for you. If you don't want to have that reminder…" Madam Pomphrey looked highly uncomfortable saying that, though she had no choice. Every Hogwarts girl was given the option as there hadn't been a pregnancy at the school in nearly a century and the policy was simply never updated. **( I don't support abortion, just so you know. I'm not for it or against it, I just wouldn't do it. So please don't scream at me for this part.) **

"No! This child, this little boy, is still half mine! His life is my responsibility, whether I wanted it or not. It isn't his fault that Potter is a sick sadistic bastard! I will keep him. Now… could I just have a few minutes alone. I need to think…" Beth was beginning to cry, so Madam Pomphrey closed the curtains around her bed and cast a silencing charm to further protect her privacy.

What on the Goddess' green earth was she going to tell Draco. They had been through almost losing each other once, she didn't know if he could handle this. She hoped that he would be the kind of man she thought he was but she just didn't know. Eventually, she called Madam Pomphrey back to her bed and asked if she wouldn't call Professor Snape into the hospital wing for her.

It wasn't long before he billowed into the room, searching franticly for Beth. When he found her, he let out a sigh of relief. She was sitting on one of the hospital beds, crying into Louis' fur but she didn't appear to be hurt. He rushed over to her and she instantly flung herself into his arms.

"Oh Uncle Sevy! I don't know what to do anymore! I want to be strong like daddy says I should be but I don't know if I can do it anymore!" she sobbed.

Snape took her up into his arms and began to rock her, making noises of comfort and stroking her back. Once she had finally calmed down a little he pulled back and took a look at her. Her face was red and puffy from crying and she looked as if she hadn't had a proper nights sleep in quite some time.

"See there? You're alright. Now tell me what happened." he finally said.

With a sniff, Beth answered, "Uncle Sevy… Severus, I'm pregnant. I am carrying Potter's child, his son in fact. I can't get rid of it, I just can't. It wouldn't be right."

To say that Snape was shocked would be an understatement.

"I… I don't know what to say to that, Beth. Does Draco know yet? Are you sure that it isn't his?" he answered after a moment.

Had Beth's face not already been red from crying, she would have had a noticeable blush on her face. "Yes, I've only been with Draco a few times and we have taken every precaution. The only time it could have happened would have been when that bastard raped me. As much as I wish it were Draco's, there is no way that it could be. And no, Draco doesn't know yet. I've only just found out myself…" She began to feel herself spiraling out of control. It had been easy to pretend not to be affected by what had happened to her when she wasn't really thinking about it but now with this on top of it, really hitting her, she was beginning to feel the world collapsing around her head. "Could… could you ask Madam Pomphrey for some chocolate?"

"Of course. I'll be right back."

Beth laid herself out on the bed and found that tears were still finding their way down her cheeks, though she had gotten herself under some semblance of control. How could one person have so much pain in their lives? She clutched tightly at Louis and despite his discomfort at being held so tightly, he stayed still and offered what comfort he could to his ailing mistress. Soon, Snape returned with her chocolate which she ate greedily, welcoming its calming properties.

"How am I supposed to tell Draco that I am carrying Harry Bloody Potter's child? How can I expect him to react to that! How will Father react to that? I just don't know anymore." she said morosely once she had begun to feel the effects of the chocolate.

" Elizabeth, Draco loves you. I can hardly expect that he will blame you for any of this, and if it comes down to it, I shall have a few words with him about it." he answered, kissing her lightly on her head.

"I should really get back to the Hole before Draco starts to worry. I suppose I will have to tell him sooner or later. I think sooner would be best though I do hate to admit it. I wish I could just make this go away without taking an innocent, blameless life." she said as she stood, "Thank you for coming…. And… well just thank you." she gave him a final hug before leaving the hospital wing.

She was just passing the Great Hall when she ran into Luna. Remembering the strange thing that she had said the day that Draco had been attacked, she called her over.

"Luna… what do you know." she looked at her friend coldly.

"What do you mean? What do I know about what?" Luna answered, looking perplexed before noticing the direction Beth had been coming from, "Oh… that. I take it you went to the infirmary this morning?" she finally said.

"Yes and I was quite surprised to find out exactly what had been ailing me lately. You knew, didn't you? You knew and you never said anything! How long Luna? How long have you been keeping this secret from me?"

"Since just before you went to meet with your father. I couldn't tell you because that isn't how things work. I don't see things like other Seers do. I have a pact with the Norns through my mother's family. I may See, in my dreams or in waking but I am forbidden to interfere with fate. To tell you when I first knew could have cause disastrous results. You know that I love you, Beth, I wouldn't do it to hurt you. There are some things that I can tell you." she looked a little sad.

"Then speak and be truthful." Beth said angrily, invoking a pact usually used in the trials of Death Eaters.

Luna looked a little wounded by the lack of trust but nodded despite it, "Not here though. Let us go to your dorms. I know that you have yet to tell Draco and he needs to hear this as well."

Without another word, Beth spun on her heel and began the trek back to the Hole with Louis hot on her heels.

**Okay…. So I really wasn't planning on going this way with the story, but I suppose when your muse decides to help you out a bit for the first time in months, you don't deny her, yes? And I just want to say, sorry about this getting weirder and weirder, I really didn't intend for that to happen, it just sort of comes to me…. Maybe I should stop listening to Switchblade Symphony while I write…. Also, really really sorry about the shortness of this chapter and the nearly complete lack of anything really going on. I just think that that was a good place to end the chapter and HOPEFULY the next chapter will be longer because these five page pieces of st really kind of disgust me. REVIEW PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEE, it will please the Muse and help me write! Also ideas are totally welcome and stuff.**


	16. Where do We Go From Here?

**I bet you all hate me now don't you? It's been like ages since I updated and I left you with the news that Beth is pregnant with Potters child. I am a terrible author and you all have the right to hate me, but I really hope that you don't. There has been so much going on. I've moved, I'm getting married and my parents are moving out of state. I've also had wicked writers block. But those are all excuses and my readers, you deserve better, which is why I'm updating.**

When the two girls returned to the Hole, Draco was awake and waiting in the common room. He looked slightly relieved to see Luna with Beth as she had been looking after her since she had apparently become ill.

"I was worried, did you go see Madam Pomphrey? " He asked, embracing Beth.

"I did," she answered softly, standing in his arms awkwardly. She looked pointedly at Luna who had enough reason to look slightly ashamed of herself.

"Well what did she say? Are you alright?" Draco looked worried and Beth couldn't bear to lie to him.

"Come sit with me on the couch, I have something I need to tell you."

Those words only served to make Draco even more worried but he complied. Once sitting, he looked between the two, the fear in his eyes increasing as the silent seconds passed.

"What is it? You can tell me anything just please tell me you are going to be alright! I can't stand to lose you…" he let the words hang in the air, bringing back the still fresh memories of their fight some weeks earlier.

"She will be fine Draco." Luna answered but shut her mouth quickly at the look from Beth.

Draco looked to her asking with his eyes if that was the truth.

"I will be fine, Draco. This is just so hard to say. Luna has some explaining to do to both of us but I need to explain first." Beth's voice cracked a little and tears were beginning to form again in her eyes. When Draco reached out to comfort her, she shook her head and rested her hands atop his. "Draco I really don't know how to tell you this. I suppose I just have to say it in the plainest terms I know…."

Once again, she trailed off and closed her eyes. It seemed she was gathering all her strength to say what would come next. Draco was watching her in terror now, half expecting her to say that whatever was wrong was his fault and that she never wished to see him again.

Then she said it.

"Draco, I'm pregnant."

It didn't sink in. It wasn't possible. They had been safe.

"And it isn't yours."

What did that mean? How could it not be his?

"It's Potter's"

That is when it stuck him. Quietly he nodded. There was a red haze in front of his eyes. All he could think was that he was going to kill Potter. He made to get up and do just that when he heard the soft sob next to him. He looked down at Beth. Tears were streaming down her face and she looked as if someone had just slapped her.

"I'm so sorry." was all she said and once again, he didn't understand. It was only when Luna spoke up that he did.

"He isn't mad at you Beth. He loves you still."

Of course. How stupid could he be? She thought that he was leaving her because she was pregnant with another man's child. He sat back down, cooling his rage and wrapped his arms around her.

"I will kill him a thousand times over for what he has done to you, love," he whispered softly into her raven's wing hair.

All the while Luna sat and watched, waiting to be called upon to explain herself and what she knew. The two sat across from her for a long time seeming to converse in low tearful words, how long she wasn't quite sure but finally, Beth looked to her.

"Speak" was all she got but she did as she was bidden.

"I told you I cannot tell you everything. Yes, I knew you were with child but I would not have kept it from you had I not been bound to. I can also tell you that you will have a boy and that he will be powerful. As I told Beth earlier, I do not see like other Seers and it must be understood that what I speak is not prophesy. I may see only what I am allowed, what may be changed in one way or another were I to interfere. Your child, your baby boy, he will be greater than the sum of his parents if he is allowed to become so. I urge you to keep him and not expel him from you before he is able to survive." Luna spoke in low words, almost a whisper, afraid that she had irrevocably lost one of her best friends.

"I will keep him. He is innocent in this. He does not deserve to die for his father's sins but I do not know if is will keep him after he is born. I may have to if what you say is true, but we will see in time." Beth answered.

Draco was silent in all of this, listening, still shocked.

"Beth…" Draco said, trailing off.

She nodded to him to continue.

"Beth, I don't care who that child's father is. If you are the one who bares him, he will be mine. "

For a moment, Beth looked as if she might cry again, but she simply nodded to him, a smile gracing her face.

"I will leave now if it is what you wish." Luna said quietly.

Beth regarded her for a moment and then shook her head. "No, you don't have to go. I can't be angry with you for something you had no control over but it may be quite some time before I come to trust you again. You are still my friend and I cannot do this without you beside me."

Luna broke out in a grin and launched herself at the pregnant girl, grasping her in a tight hug. "I won't ever betray your trust again, even if it means bringing down the wrath of the Gods."

It was at that moment that Blaise and Pansy decided to make their appearance, striding into the common room as if it were their own. They took in the scene with questioning eyes.

"Did we miss something?" Pansy asked, looking between the three of them. Beth burst out laughing as Pansy and Blaise looked on in confusion.

"She wants to know if she missed something!" Beth laughed harder. "You missed a hell of a lot to tell you the truth, lovely. A whole hell of a lot."

Draco took the moment to explain the situation while his love sat next to him in hysterics. "Potter got her pregnant and the child is to apparently be very powerful according to Luna who is our own very special type of Seer. Beth has decided on keeping him and I have less than nine months to turn myself into a father. I think that pretty much sums it up, don't you?"

He turned to Beth who by that time had tears streaming down her face as she continued to laugh. All she could manage was a small nod. Pansy and Blaise stood by looking quite dazed at this new development. Blaise was the first to recover, having guessed that his girlfriend's friend was pregnant.

"So…. Does this mean that I get to be the Godfather?" he asked in the most nonchalant fashion. Unfortunately, this only caused Beth to sink further into hysterics. It wasn't too long before the others began to exchange worried looks. So, with a nod from Draco, Pansy hurried away to retrieve a calming potion that they kept on hand for the occasional night terror that Beth suffered from. Once she returned, she looked to Luna to ask if it was safe for the child.

"It doesn't much matter at this point, with her worked up the way she is. It would be better to give her the potion than to let her continue like this. I was afraid it might happen." Luna answered Pansy's unspoken question.

Beth took the potion and drank it obediently, as if she wasn't quite sure what was going on. It wasn't long before she had calmed and fallen into a quiet slumber, leaning against Draco's shoulder.

"How did this happen? Didn't anyone think to give her a contraception potion after she was found?" Pansy whispered so as not to awake her friend.

Draco shook his head. "McGonagall said that it looked like he used protection. She said that there wasn't any trace of…. "Draco looked as if he were a hard time actually saying the word, "seamen on her when she cleaned her up. It wasn't something that was a priority."

Pansy nodded and looked to her sleeping friend. She was worried; there was no question about that. Even if Beth wanted the child, there was telling what Potter and his little minions might do once they found out. They had already nearly killed Draco and before that, raped Beth. It wouldn't be long before she started to show and Pansy knew if confronted, Beth would tell them exactly whose child she was carrying. She couldn't help but worry that Potter might try to kill her or the child. Maybe Snape would know what to do.

--------- Later that week.

Pansy made her way to Snape's office with fear in her heart. What if he didn't know what to do? With a deep breath, she steeled herself to knock on the door. When his answer of, "Enter", came she did just that.

"Ms. Parkinson, how can I help you?" He asked as she seated herself across from him.

"Cut the crap Severus, when was the last time you called me "Ms. Parkinson"? Listen, I'm worried. I'm more than worried. In fact, I'm terrified. What are we going to do once word gets out about Beth? What if that bastard tries something and she gets hurt? Or worse, in her eyes anyway, if the baby is hurt?" Pansy looked at the man who had become like a father to her over the years, her fear apparent in her eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that. Because of our oh, so very wise Headmaster, we can't do anything to Potter. There was no physical evidence that would pin him to what he did besides what Beth says. We can't prove who attacked Draco because he never saw who it was. There is no way to keep them away from her. The most we can do is keep an eye on her and never let her out of our site. I was going to bring in you, Draco, Blaise and Ms. Lovegood later in the week to discuss this, but it seems that I won't have to. I want one of you with her at all times. It shouldn't be much of a problem but strange things seem to have a way of happening in this damned school."

It wasn't quite the answer she was looking for, or even one she hadn't already thought of, but it seemed that it was going to have to do. And of course, if it were a secret that Beth was pregnant, the whole school would already know about it. She made her way to the Hole to discus this with Draco.

"Hey Pans." he said from the couch as she walked in.

"Hey. Listen, I've really got to talk to you."

"What's up? Is there something wrong?" he looked panicked. He wasn't sure if he could handle anything else going bad.

"No, not really. I'm just worried about Beth. When Potter finds out that she is pregnant, what is he going to do? I talked with Snape and he thinks we need to be with her at all times. Where is she by the way?"

"She is taking a nap. This has been really hard on her. I don't know what to do." he looked upset.

"I think that just being here and not judging her is exactly what she needs. I wouldn't worry about that. What we need to worry about it Potter. I'm just guessing. But because this is Hogwarts and nothing stays secret here for long, if even at all that most everyone knows that she is pregnant." she replied.

"Most likely they do know. All we can do is make sure she isn't ever in a position to get hurt again." his eyes glinted like steel.

"Hey there party people, what's going on?" Blaise exclaimed as he entered the room with Luna at his side.

"Just going over battle plans." Pansy answered without looking at him.

"Ooh, sounds exciting. Who are we battling?" He said as he took a seat across from them.

"They are trying to figure out a way to keep Beth and the baby safe." Luna said.

"That is just so weird when you do that, baby." Blaise said with a smile.

"It's really quite simple. The baby will keep them both safe. He knows what his mother is feeling." Luna said, ignoring her boyfriend's comment.

"We can't leave everything up to an unborn child!" Draco growled.

"It's the simplest answer. We can be with her to afford her extra protection, but that child will not let anything happen to his mother, I can assure you of that. Can't you feel the power he holds even now?" Luna replied calmly.

"Who holds what power?" Beth said sleepily from her doorway.

"Your baby. He has power even now."

"Oh, yeah, he does." Beth yawned before joining the others.

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked as she sat down next to him.

"I feel fine, considering. You worry to much." she looked around at her friends pointedly. "You all worry too much. Nothing is going to happen besides, you know, me having a baby at sixteen."

Blaise grinned around at them. "You know what? If we are having a baby, we need a baby shower!"

"Blaise, are you sure you aren't a girl? I mean, I'll still be with you if you are, but are you sure you aren't?" Luna asked, laughing at his side.

He pouted at his girlfriend as the others laughed at him. It was almost as if terrible things had become so normal that they could just act as normal teens even while the whole world changed, shifted and crashed down around their heads. As Pansy observed her friends, she thought just that.


End file.
